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Strata Electrical Planning

Source brief · The legislation

What the Strata Property Act Says About Electrical Planning and EV Charging

Our plain-language summary of Strata Property Act (BC Laws) — what it says and what it means for your strata, without leaving this site.

The source

Strata Property Act — The governing statute, as published by BC Laws (Part 5, Division 6 and Part 6). Everything below is our accurate plain-language paraphrase of that document; for the exact wording, read the original at BC Laws (opens in a new tab — this page stays open).

Section 94.1 — the EPR duty

Section 94.1 is short. It requires a strata corporation to obtain an electrical planning report from a qualified person (as defined in the regulations), by the dates determined in the regulations, containing the information the regulations set out. Every practical detail — who may prepare the report, the December 31, 2026 and 2028 deadlines, and the required content — lives in the Strata Property Regulation, which is why our brief on the province's EPR rules is the companion read to this one.

Sections 90.1–90.3 — owner EV-charging requests

Part 5, Division 6 of the Act creates a formal process for an owner who wants EV charging at a parking stall:

  • The request (s. 90.1). An owner may ask the strata to approve alterations to common property needed to install EV charging infrastructure for a parking stall. The request process applies from a date determined by the regulations — as the province explains, it comes into effect for a strata once it has obtained its EPR or its EPR deadline has passed, whichever comes first.
  • The decision (s. 90.2). The strata may approve the request if the criteria are met — including that the owner has exclusive use of the stall if it is common property. In deciding, the strata may consider the compatibility of the proposed equipment with existing and future charging and any electricity-management system, and the capacity of, and current and anticipated demands on, the strata's electrical system — the question the EPR exists to answer. The Act is direct on the key point: the strata must not unreasonably refuse. It may require the owner to agree in writing to reasonable conditions, and it must decide within the prescribed period — three months, per the province's guidance.
  • After approval (s. 90.3). The strata may make the alteration itself or allow the owner to make it, and the owner is responsible for the expenses unless otherwise agreed — including paying the strata's estimated costs up front if the strata does the work, with any excess refunded.

The funding rules — ss. 92 and 96

The Act also answers "which fund pays, and what vote does it take?":

  • Section 92 includes obtaining an EPR among the expenses the operating fund exists to cover.
  • Section 96 allows contingency reserve fund spending by majority vote (not 3/4) when the expenditure is for obtaining an EPR, for installing EV charging infrastructure or managing the electricity it uses, or for other reports about EV charging installation or operation.

That majority-vote path is deliberate: the legislation makes it procedurally easier for stratas to fund electrical planning and EV-charging work than most other capital spending, which requires a 3/4 vote.

Reading the Act itself

The Act is public and readable — the sections above are in Part 5 (Division 6) and Part 6 (Division 1). Our summaries here are plain-language paraphrases, not legal advice; for the exact wording, read the original below.

Next step

From the rules to a finished report

These are the rules; CF Electrical Services prepares the reports they call for — Electrical Planning Reports and EV Ready Plans, written in plain language your council can act on. Send your building details and we respond with a fixed-price proposal the same business day.

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