Stratify Your Plex | Cost to Stratify
What It Costs to Stratify in BC
The fees set by law to stratify a new BC duplex are $108.85: $105.30 for the Land Title Office to deposit the strata plan and $3.55 for the electronic filing. A building anyone has lived in adds a city conversion fee: for example $200 in Victoria for a building under 3 units, and $7,640 proposed for 2026 in Vancouver. The largest costs, the surveyor and the lawyer or notary, have no published price. This page lists every fee with a public source, the costs the Act puts on the owner developer, and what drives each cost that is quoted per job.
The Short Answer
- 01The Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA) charges $105.30 to deposit a strata plan, plus $3.55 for an electronic filing. For a new duplex with no other approvals, that is $108.85 in fees set by law (LTSA fee listing, April 1, 2026).
- 02The Superintendent of Real Estate charges $200 per schedule it examines, but only some plans need it (Regulation s.14.8).
- 03A building anyone has lived in needs city approval, and each city charges its own 2026 fee: for example $200 in Victoria for a building under 3 units, and $7,640 proposed for 2026 in Vancouver.
- 04Selling 5 or more strata lots brings a $2,250 disclosure statement filing under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act (REDMA).
- 05Surveyor, lawyer or notary, building report, code upgrade and insurance costs have no published price. Each is quoted per job, so no total can be given in advance.
Fees Set by Law
These fees come from the LTSA fee listing of April 1, 2026 and the regulations named, checked on October 29, 2026. The Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA) runs the Land Title Office. Its registration fees are exempt from GST and PST.
| Item | Fee | Paid to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit a strata plan (Item 5) | $105.30 | LTSA | LTSA fee listing, April 1, 2026 |
| Electronic transaction fee | $3.55 each ($2.20 on a prepaid account) | LTSA | LTSA fee listing |
| Register an indefeasible title (Item 1) | $83.82. Whether it is charged for each new strata lot title is not confirmed. | LTSA | LTSA fee listing |
| Title search (Item 10) | $11.06 | LTSA | LTSA fee listing |
| Download an image of a plan | $17.78 | LTSA | LTSA fee listing |
| General filing, amendment, such as a bylaw change on Form I (Item 3) | $33.53 | LTSA | LTSA fee listing |
| Change of the strata's address | No fee | LTSA | LTSA fee listing |
| Superintendent review of a schedule, such as Form V | $200 per schedule | Superintendent of Real Estate | Strata Property Regulation s.14.8 |
| REDMA disclosure statement filing, fewer than 10 units | $2,250 | Superintendent of Real Estate | REDMA Regulation s.13 |
| REDMA disclosure statement amendment | $1,200 | Superintendent of Real Estate | REDMA Regulation s.13 |
| Approving officer, Form P or Form Q for a phased plan in a rural area | $100 each | Approving officer | Strata Property Regulation s.13.1 |
Which of these apply to you: every plan pays the deposit fee. The Superintendent's $200 applies when the plan mixes residential and non-residential lots, or when unit entitlement is set by the Superintendent (Act s.246). A residential plex using habitable area or equal numbers skips it. The REDMA fee applies only when 5 or more strata lots are sold. The unit entitlement page explains the three bases.
Not confirmed: whether the LTSA charges the $83.82 title fee, or any other fee, for each new strata lot when the plan is deposited. The April 2026 listing shows no per-lot item. Ask the LTSA or your surveyor before you budget.
City Conversion Fees for 2026
A city fee applies when the building was ever occupied, because the plan then needs the city's approval under section 242. A new building that nobody has lived in needs no city approval under the Act. Each fee below is quoted from the city's own 2026 bylaw or guide. The last column adds the LTSA deposit and one electronic filing fee to the city's fee for a duplex. It leaves out the surveyor, the lawyer, the building report and any upgrades.
| City | 2026 conversion fee, as the city states it | Duplex: city fee plus LTSA |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | $7,310 in 2025; the October 15, 2025 fee report proposed $7,640 from January 1, 2026. Building inspections are charged on top ($850.50 in the 2025 guideline). | $7,748.85 |
| Burnaby | $2,000 for an R1 small-scale building of up to 4 units, plus $500 for each additional unit, plus a $265 strata title inspection fee (Consolidated Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 14485, consolidated August 25, 2026). | $2,373.85 |
| Surrey | $1,113 for strata conversions or amendments (Development Application Fees Bylaw No. 18641, consolidated July 27, 2026). | $1,221.85 |
| Richmond | $2,689 to convert an existing two-family dwelling; $4,026 for multi-family (Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636, effective January 1, 2026). | $2,797.85 |
| Coquitlam | $4,856.70 for two units or less in standard zones (RS, RT, RTM and others); $6,799.30 for more (2026 Fee Calculation Guide). | $4,965.55 |
| City of North Vancouver | $520.70 application plus $520.70 legal, plus inspection: $208.28 for a duplex, or $208.28 per unit up to $1,270.52 (Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 9000, Schedule D). | $1,358.53 |
| New Westminster | $2,599 strata conversion fee (Notice of Fee Increase, effective January 1, 2026). | $2,707.85 |
| Victoria | Preliminary Strata Review $150 for under 3 units or $250 for 3 or more, plus $50 for Final Strata Approval (Strata Titling Application package, March 2026). Up to three months. | $308.85 |
| Saanich | $500 strata conversion fee (Fees and Charges Bylaw, 2025, No. 10229, in force January 2, 2026). The application form still shows $250. | $608.85 |
| Kelowna | $3,445 for a building strata conversion in 2024 (Development Application Fees Bylaw No. 12552). The bylaw raises its fees 5% each January 1 from 2025, rounded to the nearest $5. The City's 2026 fee bulletin could not be opened, so the 2026 amount is not confirmed. | Not confirmed |
| Abbotsford | $900 for three units or fewer; $1,700 for four or more (Development Application and Service Fee Bylaw, 2010, Schedule G, last amended June 27, 2022). The Development Application Procedures Bylaw, 2026 still points to this fee bylaw. | $1,008.85 |
| Nanaimo | $500 for a strata title conversion (Fees and Charges Bylaw 2021 No. 7336, consolidated June 1, 2026). The City's subdivision application form lists final approval at $150 per lot. | $608.85 |
| Port Coquitlam | $1,000 plus $200 per strata lot created, up to $5,000; a renewal is half the fee, up to $2,500 (Fees and Charges Bylaw, 2025, No. 4415, Schedule K, in effect January 1, 2026). The Building Division inspection is charged separately. | Not confirmed |
| Port Moody | $4,200 for a strata title conversion (Fees Bylaw, 2025, No. 3524, the 2026 fees, consolidated with Amendment No. 1 of March 10, 2026). | $4,308.85 |
| Maple Ridge | $2,623.41 for strata title conversions (Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 7575-2019, consolidated May 15, 2026; Schedule A fees in effect since September 1, 2025). | $2,732.26 |
| Delta | $1,995 for two units or less, or industrial; $3,845 for more than two units (Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 8386, 2024, Schedule 6, as posted by the City in a file dated January 5, 2026). | $2,103.85 |
Two cities in our research are outside the table. West Vancouver's fees bylaw, effective January 1, 2026, charges $2,500 for a strata conversion plus a $1,000 deposit for a building inspection. Port Coquitlam asks for a $5,000 landscape security on a duplex; its conversion fee is in Schedule D of its fees bylaw, which we did not open.
Vancouver's figure is the fee the October 15, 2025 council report proposed for January 1, 2026. The 2025 guideline added $850.50 for inspections; the 2026 inspection amount is not confirmed. The strata conversion page covers each city's tenant and building rules.
Costs the Act Puts on the Owner Developer
Once the plan is deposited and you sell units, you are the owner developer. These amounts are set by formula, so you can work them out from your own budget.
| Cost | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Strata expenses before the first sale | The owner developer pays every expense up to the end of the month in which the first lot is conveyed. | Act s.7 |
| Contingency reserve fund at the first sale | At least 10% of the interim budget's operating expenses if the first sale is within 1 year of deposit. If later, 10% for each year since deposit, up to 50%. | Act s.12; Regulation s.3.01 |
| Interim budget overrun | The difference, paid within 8 weeks after the first AGM. At 10% to under 20% over, plus 2 times the overage; at 20% or more, plus 3 times. | Act s.14; Regulation s.3.1 |
| Late first AGM | $1,000 for up to 30 days late, plus $1,000 for each further 7 days. | Act s.17; Regulation s.3.1 |
| Depreciation report contribution, strata of 5 or more lots formed on or after July 1, 2027 | The lesser of $5,000 plus $200 per lot, or $30,000, paid by the first AGM. $6,000 for 5 lots and $6,200 for 6 lots. | Regulation s.6.23 |
| Builders lien holdback | A buyer from the owner developer holds back 7% of the price for up to 55 days. This delays part of the sale money. | Act s.88; Regulation s.5.2 |
Example (our arithmetic): with an interim budget of $10,000 in operating expenses and a first sale 8 months after deposit, the reserve fund payment is at least $1,000. If the first sale comes 3 years after deposit, it is at least $3,000. The owner developer page works through the overrun penalty too.
Costs With No Public Price
These are quoted per job. We give no number for any of them, because no source we could check publishes one. Ask for a written quote from each provider, and ask what is included.
BC land surveyor
The surveyor prepares the strata plan with each lot's area in square metres, signs Form U, signs Form S for a never-occupied building, and certifies habitable area if your unit entitlement uses it (Act s.241, s.244, s.245). What drives the quote: the number of lots, whether habitable area must be measured and certified, how much limited common property must be drawn, and whether Form S must be signed again because the 180-day window passed before filing. No surveyor, the LTSA or the Association of BC Land Surveyors publishes a figure we could find.
Lawyer or notary
Work you may hire them for: drafting bylaws for Form Y, filing through the LTSA electronic system, the sale contracts, and the REDMA disclosure statement at 5 or more lots. Under REDMA, buyer deposits must be held in a brokerage, lawyer or notary trust account (REDMA s.18). What drives the quote: the number of lots and sales, whether REDMA applies, and how much bylaw drafting you want. We found no published fee.
Building report for a conversion
Cities ask for a professional report before they approve a building anyone has lived in. Vancouver asks for a report from a registered architect, engineer or other person acceptable to the City Building Inspector that the building is of reasonable quality for its age. Saanich asks for an engineer and architect report on substantial compliance with the BC Building Code 2024 and a building life of at least 35 years. What drives the quote: the age and size of the building, and what the city asks the report to cover.
Code upgrades for a conversion
The approving authority must refuse unless the building substantially complies with local bylaws and the building regulations (Act s.242(5)). Victoria asks that the common and bearing walls of a duplex meet current Code fire separation and sound ratings. Burnaby asks a previously occupied building to fully comply with the current Zoning Bylaw and BC Building Code. In a 2014 Surrey duplex conversion, the fire separation wall was upgraded to the current Code. What drives the cost: what the report finds.
Strata insurance
The strata must insure the buildings, common property and original fixtures at full replacement value against major perils, and carry at least $2,000,000 of liability insurance (Act s.149; Regulation s.9.2). The owner developer's cover must run to at least 4 weeks after the first AGM (s.15). We found no official premium figure. What drives it: replacement value, the deductible, and the building's claims history.
Depreciation report at 5 or 6 lots
A strata of 5 or more lots must get a depreciation report at least every 5 years (Regulation s.6.21). The Province publishes no price and says reports range in price depending on size and complexity. Under 5 lots, no report is required.
BC Housing's builder licence fee and the home warranty insurance premium are also part of building a multiplex for sale. Neither is in our sources, so ask BC Housing and your warranty provider. An owner builder authorization ($50 to apply and $375 to issue) cannot be used for a multiplex at all (Homeowner Protection Act Regulation s.19).
Costs After the Strata Exists
| Item | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Form B Information Certificate | At most $35 plus 25 cents a page | Act s.59; Regulation s.4.4 |
| Form F Certificate of Payment, needed for every sale | At most $15 | Act s.115; Regulation s.6.10 |
| Copies of strata records | At most 25 cents a page; inspection is free | Act s.36; Regulation s.4.2 |
| Buyer who cancels within the 3-business-day rescission period (under 5 lots) | 0.25% of the price, paid by the buyer | Home Buyer Rescission Period Regulation s.6 |
| Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) claim | $125 online or $150 by mail, plus $100 for a final decision | CRT fees page |
The strata's yearly running costs come from its budget, split by unit entitlement. At least 10% of the operating budget goes to the contingency reserve fund every year (Regulation s.6.1). The fee split calculator shows each owner's share.
Taxes on the Sale
Taxes apply to the sale of each unit, and the selling page covers GST, property transfer tax and the rebates. One tax question comes up at the stratifying stage. The BC home flipping tax, in force since January 1, 2025, is 20% of net income on a property sold within 365 days, falling to nil at 730 days. The Province's builders and developers page lists "subdividing property" as generally not a taxable disposition, and exempts property held to build on only if a return is filed. Whether the 730-day count starts again for each new strata lot is not confirmed by our sources. Ask a tax accountant.
Common Questions
How much does it cost to stratify a duplex in BC? +
For a new duplex that nobody has lived in, the fees set by law are $108.85: $105.30 for the LTSA to deposit the plan and $3.55 for the electronic filing. If anyone has lived in the duplex, add the city's conversion fee, for example $200 in Victoria for a building under 3 units, and $7,640 proposed for 2026 in Vancouver. Surveyor and lawyer fees have no published source and are quoted per job.
What does it cost to stratify a property in BC? +
The published fees are the LTSA deposit fee of $105.30, $3.55 per electronic transaction, $200 per schedule if the Superintendent of Real Estate must approve one, and the city fee if the building was ever occupied. Professional fees (surveyor, lawyer or notary, building report) are quoted per job.
How much is a strata conversion in BC? +
Each city sets its own fee. The 2026 city fee for a duplex conversion in the cities we checked (Vancouver's leaves out inspections): Vancouver $7,640, Burnaby $2,265, Surrey $1,113, Richmond $2,689, Coquitlam $4,856.70, City of North Vancouver $1,249.68, New Westminster $2,599, Victoria $200, Saanich $500, Abbotsford $900, Nanaimo $500, Port Moody $4,200, Maple Ridge $2,623.41, Delta $1,995. A building report and any code upgrades are extra, and some cities add inspections.
How much does a strata plan cost in BC? +
The LTSA charges $105.30 to deposit a strata plan (Item 5, fee listing of April 1, 2026), plus $3.55 per electronic transaction. The surveyor who prepares the plan quotes per job; we found no published surveyor fee.
Does the LTSA charge a fee for each strata lot? +
Not confirmed. The April 1, 2026 fee listing shows $105.30 to deposit a plan and $83.82 to register an indefeasible title, and does not say whether each new strata lot title is charged. Ask the LTSA or your surveyor.
How much does a surveyor charge for a strata plan? +
We found no published figure from any BC land surveyor or the Association of BC Land Surveyors. The quote depends on the number of lots, whether habitable area must be certified for unit entitlement, and how much limited common property is drawn.
How much does a lawyer charge to stratify a duplex? +
We found no published fee from a BC law firm. The work you might hire a lawyer or notary for is custom bylaws (Form Y), the electronic filing, sale contracts and, at 5 or more lots, the REDMA disclosure statement.
Does the Superintendent of Real Estate charge a fee? +
Yes, $200 for each schedule it examines (Strata Property Regulation s.14.8). A residential plex using habitable area or equal unit entitlement does not need the Superintendent's approval of Form V. A plan that mixes residential and non-residential lots does (s.246(5)).
How much is the REDMA filing fee? +
$2,250 to file a disclosure statement for fewer than 10 units, and $1,200 for an amendment (REDMA Regulation s.13). REDMA applies to 5 or more strata lots in a stratified building, so a duplex to fourplex selling strata lots does not file one. Selling 2 or more undivided co-ownership shares of one parcel does bring REDMA in.
What does it cost to change strata bylaws? +
The LTSA charges $33.53 to file Form I, plus $3.55 for an electronic filing ($2.20 on a prepaid account). A strata of 7 units or fewer can file Form I by mail instead.
Is GST charged on Land Title Office fees? +
No. The LTSA fee listing says registration fees are exempt from GST and PST.
How much does a depreciation report cost? +
The Province publishes no price and says reports range in price depending on size and complexity. For a strata of 5 or more lots formed on or after July 1, 2027, the owner developer pays toward the first report the lesser of $5,000 plus $200 per lot, or $30,000 (Regulation s.6.23). A strata under 5 lots needs no report.
Can I use an owner builder authorization to save on a multiplex? +
No. An owner builder may build only a detached home on one title, or one unit in or attached to an existing building or a new non-residential building, plus a secondary suite (Homeowner Protection Act Regulation s.19). A multiplex needs a licensed builder and home warranty, or a rental exemption.
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