B.C. dash cam law. What it says, and what to do now.

What the law would require

Bill M217, the Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act, is about forward-facing cameras. As the bill and trade summaries describe it:

• A forward-facing camera that records the road through the windshield, running while the truck is driven and kept unobstructed.
• A minimum of 1080p video, with at least 72 hours of footage kept before it is overwritten.
• Clear, identifiable footage in low light and bad weather.
• No driver-facing (in-cab) camera is required.

The owner or carrier is responsible for equipping the truck. The driver is responsible for keeping the camera running and the lens clear. Details can still change before the rules are final, so treat this as a summary, not the final text. Read the bill: Bill M217 on the B.C. Legislature site.

Which trucks it covers

Reports on the bill say it applies to heavy commercial vehicles over 11,793 kg (gross vehicle weight rating or registered gross weight) operating on B.C. highways. Light-duty pickups and passenger vehicles are described as excluded. Several summaries say it covers vehicles registered outside B.C., including U.S. carriers, so a truck that only passes through the province may count. Confirm your own trucks against the final rules.

Where it stands

The bill passed the B.C. legislature in May 2026. In the sources we reviewed, the start date was not confirmed and penalties had not been published. They disagree on how the start date is set: Geotab’s blog says the Act comes into force six months after Royal Assent, while a B.C. industry summary says the government will set it by regulation. We will update this page when the date is confirmed. Sources: Geotab, DriveSmartBC, Samsara.

What to do now

• List the trucks that run in B.C. and check each one’s gross weight rating.
• Decide whether you want a road-only camera or a camera that also watches the driver. The law only asks for the road view.
• Ask us to match the camera, recording mode and storage size to the rule before you buy. The rule talks about continuous recording and 72 hours of footage, so we will confirm those details with Geotab for the exact setup.

Geotab cameras for this

Geotab lists a 1080p road-facing camera on the GO Focus Plus, with a road-only version that has no driver-facing camera. See all options on our dash camera page. Camera choice, recording settings and storage affect whether a setup meets the final rule, which is why we check before quoting. Spec source: Geotab GO Focus Plus specifications.