Who needs an EPR, and by when
Strata corporations with five or more strata lots are required to obtain an Electrical Planning Report. The province sets two deadlines:
- By December 31, 2026 — stratas in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, the Fraser Valley Regional District, and the Capital Regional District. Islands accessible only by air or boat (such as Bowen Island and the Southern Gulf Islands) are excluded from this earlier deadline even inside those districts.
- By December 31, 2028 — stratas everywhere else in British Columbia, including those islands.
New strata corporations have five years from the deposit of the strata plan. Phased stratas have specific timelines set out in the Strata Property Regulation.
What the report must provide
The required content of an EPR is set out in the Strata Property Regulation. The province summarizes it as information about:
- the current capacity of the strata corporation's electrical system;
- a list of existing demands on the electrical system;
- an estimate of peak electrical demand and spare electrical capacity;
- an estimate of the capacity needed to support future demands, such as EV charging and heat pumps; and
- recommendations for demand management and reducing demand — the province's own example is freeing up capacity by switching to LED lighting.
The province is explicit about scope: an EPR is an overview of capacity and future demands, not a detailed analysis, and it cannot by itself inform the installation of new electrical loads. When a strata or an owner later wants to add equipment, a qualified professional must select the equipment and confirm the capacity at that point.
EPR versus EV Ready Plan
The two reports are not the same. The province describes the EPR as a general overview of the strata's capacity and demands, and an EV Ready Plan as a detailed plan for installing EV charging in every parking stall. It also notes there may be cost savings in having the same provider prepare both — the reports share underlying work.
The EV-charging approval process it triggers
Once a strata has obtained its EPR — or once its EPR deadline has passed, whichever comes first — the strata must follow the process in the Strata Property Act and Regulation for owner EV-charging requests. The province highlights three elements: a request cannot be unreasonably refused, council must decide within three months, and the strata can require the owner to pay the costs. Our brief on the Act's electrical sections covers the underlying law.
Paying for the report
The cost can be paid from either the operating fund (included in the budget and passed by majority vote at the AGM) or the contingency reserve fund (a resolution passed by majority vote at an annual or special general meeting).
The EPR is a permanent record
An EPR is a permanent record of the strata corporation and must be disclosed on the Form B Information Certificate when requested by owners and prospective purchasers. The province recommends the report not contain council members' personal contact information or project price quotes. It also advises councils choosing a provider to ask for examples of their work and references, and notes the value of a report that is clearly written and easy to understand — it will be read by owners and purchasers for many years.
Who may prepare an EPR
Only designated professionals can complete an EPR: professionals registered with EGBC or ASTTBC may prepare one for any strata building, and for a strata where every building on the strata plan is a Part 9 building (the BC Building Code's "Housing and Small Buildings" class — generally three storeys or less and a footprint of 600 m² or less), the list also includes a Journeyperson Electrician in the construction or industrial electrician trade under the Skilled Trades BC Act. The province's page lists the full designations, which were expanded effective October 27, 2025.