This information is provided by Alberta Justice and Solicitor General and Service Alberta.
When a photo radar ticket is issued, notice to the address in Service Alberta’s motor vehicle registry is provided. The owner may contest the ticket, in which case evidence is presented, including photos in the case of a photo radar ticket. Where the owner does not contest the ticket and the court convicts, the resulting fine is enforced on the basis of the conviction.
It is up to the registered owner to ensure their address is up to date in the registry. In Alberta there is no statute of limitations on court-ordered fines.
There are situations when someone either sells a vehicle or disposes of a vehicle without taking off their plates and not taking steps to ensure the transfer of vehicle ownership is reflected in the registry.
This is important in avoiding any possible liability claims associated with the future operation of the vehicle by the purchaser. Here’s some additional information for someone selling a vehicle:
When a person sells their vehicle to another person they should retain their plates and return them to the registry office for secured destruction. This is the only time that the owner name is removed from the licence plate. This is a voluntary program.
In order to remove the plate from their name, the person must return the plate to Alberta Motor Vehicles and complete a Licence Plate/Parking Placard Cancellation Declaration (REG3106) form.
If you sell a motor vehicle with the licence plate still affixed, any enforcement will be assigned to the owner of the plate.
Alberta Motor Vehicles is not a titling database, and a person’s name is never removed from the vehicle history in Alberta for a particular vehicle. The only way to ensure that you are not the last registrant is to have the new person register the vehicle.
In the case where a person cancels registration as well as returns the plate, they may have a refund coming if they cancel registration with enough time on it. Refunds only come when registration is cancelled.