Ottawa’s new idling rules are not enforceable

It's a complicated enforcement mechanism

There’s a new vehicle idling bylaw that came into effect at the start of this year, and if you don’t comply, it could cost you more money. 

What are the changes? The new rules permit an occupied vehicle to idle a maximum of three minutes per hour, when the temperature is 0° to 27°, or a maximum of 10 minutes per hour, when the temperature is below 0° or above 27°. An unoccupied vehicle is permitted to idle for a maximum of one minute per hour, regardless of temperature.

There are exemptions: Emergency vehicles engaged in a call, vehicles sitting in traffic or in a drive-through, public transit vehicles, vehicles engaged in farming, and vehicles idling to facilitate repairs and servicing, among others, don’t need to follow these restrictions. 

So how will the rules be enforced? This is a tricky one… A responding by-law officer must witness the idling violation, meaning the officer must watch the vehicle idle past the time limit. Given almost all idling happens with the intention of driving away soon, the offending vehicle usually leaves before an officer can respond. Or, where an officer does respond in time, the vehicle can simply leave. As Barrhaven East councillor Wilson Lo pointed out in his weekly newsletter, “That means the by-law is practically not enforceable, especially with more important (and enforceable) by-laws competing for resources.”

  • “I do believe we should minimise excessive idling due to its negative impact on the environment and one’s wallet in wasted fuel, and we should communicate just that with the public. We don’t need another expensive document for the platitudes drawer,” said Lo. 

Some brief history: Ottawa’s Idling By-law was first enacted in 2007 and limited permitted idling to a maximum of three minutes per hour when the temperature is 5° to 27°. No limit existed for temperatures below 5° and above 27°. As part of a regular review cycle for all by-laws, the Idling By-law was reviewed throughout 2024. Canada’s first idling by-law was passed by Toronto in 1996. In Inuvik, Northwest Territories, where the weather is darn cold, vehicles can idle for upwards of 30 minutes.