How long after the facts come to the registrar's attention may a prosecution under the Act be started?
BC VSA Salesperson overview
BC VSA Salesperson: Complaints, enforcement, odometers and curbers
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Study reference: Official-source editorial checking, no licensed review — Complaints, enforcement, odometers and curbers
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How long after the facts come to the registrar's attention may a prosecution under the Act be started?
- There is no time limit
- Up to 4 years
- Up to 2 years
- Up to 6 months
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Up to 2 years
A prosecution must not be commenced more than 2 years after the facts on which it is based first came to the attention of the registrar.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 36; official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗The registrar imposes an administrative penalty for a contravention. Can the person also be prosecuted for the same contravention?
- Yes, if the penalty is not paid on time
- No, the two cannot both be used
- Yes, both are always applied together
- Only if the VSA board approves it
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: No, the two cannot both be used
If an administrative penalty is imposed, a prosecution for the same contravention may not be brought, and a conviction prevents a penalty for the same circumstances.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 26.04(3)–(4); official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗A person regularly buys vehicles to resell for profit to retail consumers. Which statement about BC dealer registration is correct?
- Business activity can require registration even below the five-vehicle deeming threshold
- A person selling their own car after driving it for years
- A person giving their old car to a family member
- A person who trades in their car at a licensed dealer
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Business activity can require registration even below the five-vehicle deeming threshold
The Act’s business definition can apply without reaching the separate deeming threshold of five vehicles in 12 months. Do not assume one personal disposal is a business, or that staying below five creates a safe exemption.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act ss. 1, 3; official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗Which is a common sign that a private seller may be a curber?
- Several vehicles listed with the same phone number and no dealer number
- The seller meets the buyer at their home and accepts a bank draft
- The seller shows a registration in their own name and a service history
- The seller suggests an inspection by a mechanic of the buyer's choice
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Several vehicles listed with the same phone number and no dealer number
Multiple ads with one phone number and no dealer number are warning signs, not proof on their own. Check the seller’s identity and vehicle registration, and verify dealer status through the official licensee search.
Based on: VSA Report a Curber — warning signs; official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗The registrar has reason to believe a person has contravened the Act. Which written compliance instrument may the registrar accept?
- A written undertaking, for example to compensate consumers
- A verbal promise to do better next time
- A donation to a consumer charity
- A transfer of the dealer's licence to one of its managers
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A written undertaking, for example to compensate consumers
A written undertaking may include compliance, stopping a practice, consumer compensation, security and investigation costs. It is not an automatic exemption from other enforcement; the registrar may terminate a proceeding on accepting it.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 26.01; official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗What is the maximum fine for a corporation convicted of an offence under the Motor Dealer Act?
- $100,000
- $500,000
- $50,000
- $200,000
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: $200,000
An individual can be fined up to $100,000 and/or jailed up to 6 months; a corporation can be fined up to $200,000.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 35.1; official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗Which act involving an odometer is an offence under the Motor Dealer Act?
- Altering it to mislead a buyer about the distance travelled
- Reading it aloud to the buyer during the test drive
- Showing the reading in kilometres instead of miles
- Replacing a broken one and recording the old reading on the agreement
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Altering it to mislead a buyer about the distance travelled
Section 34(2) prohibits altering, disconnecting or replacing an odometer with intent to mislead a prospective buyer about distance. A replacement without that intent is not this particular offence; other operating, record and disclosure duties can still apply.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 34(2); Regulation s. 23(e); official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗Which factor must the registrar consider before imposing an administrative penalty?
- How many staff the dealer employs on weekends
- Whether the contravention was deliberate or repeated
- Whether the dealer advertises on the radio
- The dealer's ranking in manufacturer sales contests
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Whether the contravention was deliberate or repeated
The registrar considers previous enforcement, gravity and magnitude, harm to others, whether it was repeated or continuous, whether it was deliberate, any economic benefit and efforts to correct it.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 26.04(1)–(2); official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗An employee commits an odometer operating offence under s. 34(1) involving a vehicle entrusted by the dealer. Under s. 34(4), what is the dealer’s position?
- The dealer has no liability at all
- The dealer is liable only if it profited from it
- Only the employee's licence is affected
- The dealer is deemed a party to the offence
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: The dealer is deemed a party to the offence
Section 34(4) deems the owner or dealer a party when the specified entrusted person commits an offence under subsection (1). It does not say that every subsection (2) tampering offence automatically has this same deemed-liability rule.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 34(1), (4); official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗The registrar receives a complaint and asks a dealer in writing for information. What must the dealer do?
- Reply only if a court orders it to
- Refer the registrar to the customer who complained instead
- Wait until the next annual renewal
- Provide the information the registrar requests
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Provide the information the registrar requests
When the registrar receives a complaint and requests information in writing, indicating the nature of the complaint, the dealer must provide it. The registrar may also enter the premises during normal business hours to inspect.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 25(1)–(3); official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗What is the maximum administrative penalty for a salesperson (an individual who does not own the business)?
- $100,000
- $50,000
- $5,000
- $200,000
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: $50,000
An individual who owns and operates the business, or a corporation, can face up to $100,000; any other individual, such as a salesperson, up to $50,000.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 26.05; official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗When may the registrar enter a dealer's premises to inspect about a complaint?
- Only with a search warrant from a judge
- Only when the dealer's owner is present
- Only after giving the dealer 30 days' written notice
- At any reasonable time during normal business hours
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: At any reasonable time during normal business hours
For a complaint, the registrar or a person designated in writing may enter the dealer's business premises at any reasonable time during normal business hours to inspect.
Based on: Motor Dealer Act s. 25(3); official source checked 2026-10-24
Official reference ↗
Complaints, enforcement, odometers and curbers: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Complaints, enforcement, odometers and curbers
- The registrar receives a complaint and asks a dealer in writing for information. What must the dealer do?: When the registrar receives a complaint and requests information in writing, indicating the nature of the complaint, the dealer must provide it. The registrar may also enter the premises during normal business hours to inspect.
- When may the registrar enter a dealer's premises to inspect about a complaint?: For a complaint, the registrar or a person designated in writing may enter the dealer's business premises at any reasonable time during normal business hours to inspect.
- The registrar has reason to believe a person has contravened the Act. Which written compliance instrument may the registrar accept?: A written undertaking may include compliance, stopping a practice, consumer compensation, security and investigation costs. It is not an automatic exemption from other enforcement; the registrar may terminate a proceeding on accepting it.
- Which factor must the registrar consider before imposing an administrative penalty?: The registrar considers previous enforcement, gravity and magnitude, harm to others, whether it was repeated or continuous, whether it was deliberate, any economic benefit and efforts to correct it.
- What is the maximum administrative penalty for a salesperson (an individual who does not own the business)?: An individual who owns and operates the business, or a corporation, can face up to $100,000; any other individual, such as a salesperson, up to $50,000.
- The registrar imposes an administrative penalty for a contravention. Can the person also be prosecuted for the same contravention?: If an administrative penalty is imposed, a prosecution for the same contravention may not be brought, and a conviction prevents a penalty for the same circumstances.
- What is the maximum fine for a corporation convicted of an offence under the Motor Dealer Act?: An individual can be fined up to $100,000 and/or jailed up to 6 months; a corporation can be fined up to $200,000.
- How long after the facts come to the registrar's attention may a prosecution under the Act be started?: A prosecution must not be commenced more than 2 years after the facts on which it is based first came to the attention of the registrar.
- Which act involving an odometer is an offence under the Motor Dealer Act?: Section 34(2) prohibits altering, disconnecting or replacing an odometer with intent to mislead a prospective buyer about distance. A replacement without that intent is not this particular offence; other operating, record and disclosure duties can still apply.
- An employee commits an odometer operating offence under s. 34(1) involving a vehicle entrusted by the dealer. Under s. 34(4), what is the dealer’s position?: Section 34(4) deems the owner or dealer a party when the specified entrusted person commits an offence under subsection (1). It does not say that every subsection (2) tampering offence automatically has this same deemed-liability rule.
- Which is a common sign that a private seller may be a curber?: Multiple ads with one phone number and no dealer number are warning signs, not proof on their own. Check the seller’s identity and vehicle registration, and check dealer status through the official licensee search.
- A person regularly buys vehicles to resell for profit to retail consumers. Which statement about BC dealer registration is correct?: The Act’s business definition can apply without reaching the separate deeming threshold of five vehicles in 12 months. Do not assume one personal disposal is a business, or that staying below five creates a safe exemption.
Study the Complaints, enforcement, odometers and curbers rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- The VSA, the Motor Dealer Act and who is regulatedHow the Vehicle Sales Authority administers the Motor Dealer Act and parts of the BPCPA, the legal definitions of motor dealer, motor vehicle and sale, the five-vehicle deeming rule, exemptions, the VSA's jurisdiction, publication of enforcement actions and the $10 transaction levy.
- Salesperson licensingSalesperson activity, applications, conditions, renewal and the distinction between unpaid introductions and rewarded activity that requires a licence.
- Dealer registration, premises and recordsWhat a dealer needs to be registered, trading only in the registered name from registered premises, online sales, per-location registration and expiry, refusal and cancellation, changes to report in 14 days, certificates, records kept two years and wholesale auctions.
- Code of conductThe duties every licensee and dealer owes under the code of conduct: honesty and integrity, no discrimination, putting every representation in writing, prompt replies, no misleading charges, no intimidation, protecting records and not helping anyone break the law.
- Sale agreements and material factsWhat new and used vehicle agreements must contain, the material facts a dealer must disclose (taxi, police, racing, damage, rental, imported for sale, odometer), vehicles not suitable for transportation, odometer replacement and when a vehicle is new, used or a demonstrator.
- Advertising, price display and dealer feesDealer numbers in ads, window-sticker and all-in price rules for new and used vehicles, demonstrator wording, documentation and finance placement fees, lowest advertised price and the BPCPA rules on price representations.
- Deceptive and unconscionable practices (BPCPA)Who is a consumer and a supplier, examples of deceptive acts or practices, the supplier's burden of proof, the factors for unconscionable practices and their effect, void waivers and prohibited terms on reviews and arbitration.
- Leases, distance sales, deposits and returnsLease disclosure and the one-clear-day lease cancellation right, why purchases have no cooling-off period, distance sales cancellation rights, deposits with and without a written agreement, and the buyer's right to inspect.
- Consignment salesWhat a consignment is, the contents of the consignment agreement and the consigned-vehicle purchase agreement, plain-language rules, trust money, deposit and withdrawal rules and the one-day and 14-day deadlines.
- Motor Dealer Customer Compensation FundDealer contributions and late charges, who can claim and which losses qualify, the written demand and deadlines, exclusions, the $20,000 maximum, the Board's powers and dealer repayment.
- Sale of Goods Act, liens and financingImplied conditions of title, description, fitness, merchantable quality and durability, which ones can be excluded for used goods, lien searches, negative equity, extended-term loans and finance fees.