Stratify Your Plex | Strata Plan
The Strata Plan: What It Is and What Gets Filed
A strata plan is the survey, filed at the BC Land Title Office, that divides a piece of land or a building into strata lots and common property. The day it is deposited, each lot gets its own title and the owners become a strata corporation. This page covers what the plan shows, the forms that go with it, how to read it, how to find your plan and lot numbers, and how to get a copy.
The Short Answer
- 01A strata plan is the survey filed at the Land Title Office that divides land into strata lots and common property. When it is deposited, the strata lots and the strata corporation exist (Strata Property Act s.239, s.2).
- 02It shows the land boundaries, the buildings, each strata lot and its area in square metres, and it is signed by a BC land surveyor, the owner and every mortgage lender (s.244).
- 03The strata plan number is two or three letters and a number, such as "LMS 789", at the end of the legal description. It is also part of the strata's legal name.
- 04Your strata must give you a copy of the plan within 2 weeks for at most 25 cents a page. The Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA) sells an image of it for $17.78, plus $3.55 online.
- 05Changing the plan later usually takes a unanimous vote: limited common property, lot boundaries and unit entitlement (s.257 to s.263).
What a Strata Plan Shows
Section 244 of the Strata Property Act lists what the plan must contain. It shows the boundaries of the land, where the buildings sit, the boundaries of each strata lot, and each lot's area in square metres. A BC land surveyor endorses it on Form U, stating that the buildings are inside the land boundaries.
The owner who applies signs it, and so does every holder of a registered charge on the land, such as a mortgage lender. An approving officer endorses it only if it is a phased plan or a bare land plan. Parking stalls and storage spaces cannot be separate strata lots on the plan (s.244(2)).
In a building, a lot's boundary is the middle of the wall, floor or ceiling that separates it from the next lot or from common property, unless the plan shows a different boundary (s.68). Everything on the plan outside the strata lots is common property, which includes pipes, wires and ducts inside the boundary walls or serving more than one lot (s.1).
A bare land strata plan works differently. Its lot boundaries are set by survey markers on the ground (s.1), and the Province says such a plan usually does not show the houses. If the houses are drawn on the plan, the Province warns it may not be a bare land strata.
How to Read a Strata Plan
Start with the legend. These labels come from the sample plan on the Province's common property page. The legend on your own plan explains the labels it uses.
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SL | Strata lot, followed by its number (SL 1, SL 2) |
| C | Common property |
| A | Area of the lot |
| P | Patio that is limited common property, shown with the number of the lot that uses it |
| PR | Porch that is limited common property, shown with the lot number |
| W | Bay window that is limited common property, shown with the lot number |
Then read it in this order. Find your lot by its SL number and note its area in square metres. Look for any limited common property marked with your lot number: a yard, patio, porch or parking stall that only your lot uses. Everything marked C is common property.
Next, find the Schedule of Unit Entitlement. For plans filed since July 1, 2000 it is Form V; older plans use Form 1. It lists each lot's unit entitlement, which sets your share of the common property and of every shared cost (s.66, s.99). If the plan uses habitable area, the numbers are square metres that leave out patios, balconies, garages, parking stalls and storage (Regulation s.14.2).
Last, check the plan's general index at the Land Title Office. Later changes to the common property, sketch plans for limited common property, filed resolutions and filed bylaws are listed there, and they do not appear on the original drawing. The unit entitlement page shows how the shares turn into strata fees, and the limited common property page explains who repairs those areas.
The Forms Filed With a Strata Plan
Each form has a letter in the Strata Property Regulation. A new duplex to sixplex files S, U, V and X, plus Y if it has its own bylaws.
| Form | What it is | When it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Form S | Surveyor's certificate that a new building was never occupied, dated no more than 180 days before the plan is tendered | New, never-occupied buildings (s.241) |
| Form T | City (approving authority) endorsement approving the plan of a previously occupied building, dated no more than 180 days before tender | Strata conversions (s.242) |
| Form U | Surveyor's endorsement that the buildings are inside the land boundaries | Every building strata plan (s.244) |
| Form V | Schedule of Unit Entitlement: each lot's share. Superintendent approval when set by the Superintendent or when residential and non-residential lots are mixed | Every plan (s.245, s.246) |
| Form W | Schedule of Voting Rights. Needs at least one non-residential lot; residential lots keep one vote each | Only if voting is set by schedule (s.247) |
| Form X | The strata corporation's mailing address | Every plan (s.245) |
| Form Y | Bylaws that differ from the Standard Bylaws | Only if the owner developer files its own bylaws (s.245) |
| Form Z | Application to Deposit, with the duplicate title if there is one | Paper filings only (Regulation s.14.6, s.14.9) |
| Electronic filing | Images of Forms V, W, X and Y (and P for a phased plan) attached to a Strata Property Act Filing form, with an electronic Application to Deposit Plan | Electronic filings (Land Title Practice Manual 245) |
| Forms P, Q and R | Phased Strata Plan Declaration (P), approval of each phase (Q), and Form R for common facilities | Phased plans only (s.221 to s.225) |
The Superintendent of Real Estate charges $200 for each schedule it examines (Regulation s.14.8). The LTSA charges $105.30 to deposit a plan, plus $3.55 per electronic transaction (fee listing, April 1, 2026). Form Z.1, the Amended Schedule of Interest on Destruction, applies only to old Condominium Act plans. The step-by-step guide shows when each form is prepared.
Your Strata Plan Number
The strata plan number is usually at the end of a property's legal description. It is two or three letters followed by a number, such as "VR 1234" or "LMS 789", and the letters show the region and the time the plan was registered (LTSA). The Province's own examples are LMS 1234 and KAS 9876.
The number is also part of the strata corporation's legal name: "The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 789". A title search from the LTSA costs $11.06, plus $3.55 for an online search on a pay-as-you-go account, and shows the full legal description.
Your Strata Lot Number
A strata lot is "a lot shown on a strata plan" (s.1). Its number is in the legal description on your title, and on the plan it is marked SL with the number after it. The LTSA says each strata lot has "its own unique PID and lot number that can be found in its legal description." The PID is the parcel identifier, the number that identifies one parcel of land in BC's title records.
The strata must also keep a list of owners with each owner's strata lot number and unit entitlement (s.35).
How to Get a Copy of Your Strata Plan
From your strata
The strata must keep the registered strata plan and every amendment, and must keep them permanently (s.35; Regulation s.4.1). An owner can inspect them for free, and can get copies within 2 weeks for at most 25 cents a page (s.36; Regulation s.4.2).
From the LTSA
The official copy comes from the Land Title and Survey Authority, online through an LTSA Explorer account or by mail. It costs $17.78 to download an image of a plan, plus $3.55 per online transaction on a pay-as-you-go account. Searching the common property record is free (LTSA).
Filed bylaws are listed in the plan's general index too, but the LTSA says its office "will not usually have the most recent copies of bylaws". Ask the strata for the current set.
Changing a Strata Plan
Plan amendments are in Part 15 of the Act. In a small strata, a unanimous vote means every owner, and no court can override one owner who votes no in a strata under 10 lots (s.52). That is the reason to get the plan right before it is filed.
| Change | Vote needed | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Designate limited common property by plan amendment | Unanimous | s.257 |
| Designate limited common property by resolution with a sketch plan (effective when filed) | 3/4 | s.74 |
| Designate parking stalls as limited common property before the first AGM | Owner developer alone | s.258 |
| Divide or consolidate strata lots | Unanimous, with exceptions | s.259, s.260 |
| Divide a residential lot without changing the other lots' shares | 3/4, plus an approving officer certificate | s.259(3), s.260(4) |
| Change unit entitlement when habitable area changes | Unanimous, a new Form V approved by the Superintendent, and a Certificate of Strata Corporation | s.261 |
| Add a strata lot to the common property | Unanimous | s.263 |
| Amalgamate two strata corporations | 3/4 of each corporation | s.269 |
A change to the fee formula itself, away from unit entitlement, is a unanimous resolution filed at the Land Title Office (s.100). The vote calculator shows how many owners each kind of vote needs.
Phased Strata Plans
A phased plan lets a developer build and deposit a strata in stages. Before phase 1 is deposited, an approving officer must approve a Form P Phased Strata Plan Declaration, and that approval expires after 1 year if phase 1 is not deposited (s.221, s.222). Each later phase is approved on Form Q (s.224), and common facilities need security or 50% completion (Form R).
Phases are deposited in order, all on the same basis of unit entitlement (s.221). A new phase triggers an annual general meeting (s.230). Nanaimo's small-scale housing guide asks that all units be stratified at the same time.
How Many Strata Plans BC Has
The LTSA reports that as at March 31, 2026 there were 35,098 filed strata plans and 807,738 active strata lots in BC. Each filed plan created one strata corporation; the LTSA does not say how many have since been wound up.
Common Questions
What is a strata plan? +
A strata plan is the survey document filed at the Land Title Office that divides land or a building into strata lots and common property. When it is deposited, the land becomes 2 or more strata lots and a strata corporation named "The Owners, Strata Plan [number]" exists (Strata Property Act s.239, s.2).
What does strata plan mean? +
It means the registered survey that created a strata. It shows the land boundaries, the buildings, each strata lot with its area in square metres and the common property. It is signed by a BC land surveyor, the owner who filed it and every lender with a mortgage on the land (s.244).
How do I find my strata plan number? +
Look at the end of the legal description on your property title. The number is two or three letters and a number, such as "VR 1234" or "LMS 789". It is also part of your strata corporation's legal name, for example "The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 789".
What is a strata plan number? +
The strata plan number is the identifier the Land Title Office gave the plan when it was filed. It is two or three letters followed by a number; the letters show the region and the time the plan was registered (LTSA). Examples from the Province: LMS 1234 and KAS 9876.
Where can I find a strata plan number? +
On the land title, in the legal description of the strata lot. A title search from the LTSA costs $11.06, plus $3.55 for an online search on a pay-as-you-go account. Your strata council or manager can also tell you, because it is part of the strata corporation's name.
How do I get a copy of my strata plan? +
Ask your strata first. It must keep the registered strata plan and every amendment, and must give an owner copies within 2 weeks for at most 25 cents a page (Strata Property Act s.35, s.36; Regulation s.4.2). For the official copy, order it from the LTSA through an LTSA Explorer account or by mail: $17.78 to download an image of a plan, plus $3.55 per online transaction on a pay-as-you-go account.
How do you read a strata plan? +
Start with the legend. In the Province's sample plan, SL means strata lot, C means common property and A means area; limited common property is marked with the number of the lot that uses it, and P, PR and W stand for patio, porch and bay window. Each lot shows its area in square metres. The Schedule of Unit Entitlement (Form V, or Form 1 for plans filed before July 1, 2000) gives each lot's share.
What is a strata lot? +
A strata lot is a lot shown on a strata plan (Strata Property Act s.1). In a building, its boundary is the middle of the wall, floor or ceiling between it and the next lot or common property, unless the plan shows another boundary (s.68). Each strata lot has its own PID and is taxed as a separate parcel with its share of the common property.
What is a strata lot number? +
It is the number of your lot on the strata plan, written in your legal description. On the plan the lot is marked SL with the number after it. Each strata lot also has its own PID (LTSA).
How do I find my strata lot number in BC? +
Read the legal description on your title, or ask your strata: it must keep a list of owners showing each owner's strata lot number (Strata Property Act s.35). A title search from the LTSA costs $11.06, plus $3.55 online.
What does unit entitlement mean on a strata plan? +
Unit entitlement is the number on the Schedule of Unit Entitlement that sets each lot's share of the common property and of the strata's costs. For a home it is the habitable area in square metres, the same whole number for every lot, or a number approved by the Superintendent of Real Estate (s.246). Your share is your lot's number divided by the total.
Can a strata plan be changed? +
Yes, by plan amendment, and most changes need a unanimous vote: designating limited common property (s.257), dividing or joining lots (s.259) and changing unit entitlement, which also needs a new Form V approved by the Superintendent (s.261). Limited common property can also be designated by a 3/4 vote filed with a sketch plan (s.74).
How many strata plans are there in BC? +
The LTSA says that as at March 31, 2026 there were 35,098 filed strata plans and 807,738 active strata lots in BC.
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