Bare land stratas: what they are and how the rules differ
It looks like an ordinary subdivision of detached houses. It has a strata council, strata fees and bylaws. A bare land strata is a hybrid, and several of the rules owners take for granted in a condo work differently.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
In a bare land strata, the strata lots are parcels of land defined by survey markers, not parts of a building. Each owner owns the land and whatever is built on it, and shares common property such as roads, water and sewer systems, and amenities. The Strata Property Act applies, with key differences: the strata does not insure the homes (section 149), the Standard Bylaws on alteration approval and building repair do not apply to the lots, and owners insure and maintain their own buildings.
What a bare land strata is
A bare land strata plan divides land into strata lots whose boundaries are defined on the ground by survey markers, like lots in a conventional subdivision. The plan must be approved by an approving officer before deposit (section 243), under the Bare Land Strata Regulations. Typical examples are gated communities of detached homes, rural and recreational developments, manufactured home communities where residents own their pads, and some townhouse-style projects.
What the owners share is whatever was left as common property: private roads, entry gates, street lighting, water systems and wells, sewage treatment and septic fields, storm drainage, ponds, trails, clubhouses and docks.
What you own
- Your strata lot: the land within the surveyed boundaries.
- Everything on it: the house, garage, driveway, landscaping and the service lines that serve only your lot.
- A share of the common property, by unit entitlement. In a bare land strata, unit entitlement must be a whole number that is the same for every lot, or a number approved by the Superintendent of Real Estate (section 246).
Because the lot is land, there is no "midpoint of the wall" boundary question.
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How the rules differ
| Topic | Building strata | Bare land strata |
|---|---|---|
| Lot boundaries | Usually the midpoint of walls, floors and ceilings | Survey markers on the ground (section 68) |
| Strata's property insurance | Common property, buildings on the plan, original fixtures | Common property and common assets only. No cover for buildings or fixtures on the lots (section 149) |
| Owner's insurance | Contents, upgrades, liability | The whole house, like any homeowner (section 161) |
| Alterations to a lot | Written approval under Standard Bylaw 5 | Standard Bylaw 5 does not apply to bare land lots |
| Strata's repair of lots | Structure and exterior under Standard Bylaw 8 | Standard Bylaw 8(d) does not apply. The owner repairs the home |
| Bylaw amendments before the second AGM | Unanimous vote for residential | Unanimous vote (section 127) |
| Unit entitlement | Usually habitable area | Equal for all lots, or an approved number |
Everything else applies in the ordinary way: council, AGMs, budgets, fees, the contingency reserve fund, records, minutes, bylaw enforcement, Form B and Form F.
Design and building bylaws
Since Standard Bylaw 5 does not apply, a bare land strata that wants to control what owners build must pass its own bylaws: building schemes, exterior materials and colours, fencing, outbuildings, tree removal, RV and boat parking, and landscaping standards. These are valid subjects for bylaws, which may provide for the use and enjoyment of strata lots (section 119). Many developers file such bylaws, or register a separate statutory building scheme on title, which is a land title restriction and not a strata bylaw. Owners should check both.
Standard Bylaw 6 still applies to common property: an owner needs approval before altering a common road verge or common landscaping.
Repairs and infrastructure
The strata must repair and maintain common property and common assets (section 72). In a bare land strata that often means infrastructure a municipality would otherwise own: road resurfacing, water mains and reservoirs, sewage treatment plants, street lights and gates. These are expensive, long-lived assets, and they are the reason the contingency reserve fund and the depreciation report matter as much here as in a tower.
Where service lines cross lots, the definition of common property decides responsibility: a pipe within a lot is common property if it is capable of being and intended to be used in connection with another lot or the common property. The line from the main to a single house generally is not.
Depreciation and electrical reports
- Depreciation reports are required for bare land stratas with five or more strata lots, on the same schedule as other stratas. The report covers the common property and common assets.
- Electrical planning reports are also required. Where every strata lot is supplied with electricity by a utility independently from every other lot, which is common in bare land stratas, the report need only state that, with the preparer's details (Regulation 5.11).
See depreciation reports and electrical planning reports.
Fees and services
Strata fees fund the operating fund and reserve. Because every lot usually has the same unit entitlement, every owner usually pays the same. Property taxes are assessed on each lot separately, and owners may find they pay both municipal taxes and strata fees for roads the municipality does not maintain. Water and sewer systems run by the strata may be subject to provincial health and environmental regulation, and the strata may charge consumption-based user fees if set out in a bylaw or ratified rule.
Insurance in detail
The strata must still carry liability insurance and property insurance on common property and common assets. Each owner needs a full homeowner's policy on their house. The Act confirms that an owner of a strata lot in a bare land strata plan may obtain and maintain insurance on buildings or fixtures built or installed on the strata lot (section 161). A clubhouse or pump house on common property is the strata's to insure.
Buying into a bare land strata
Read the strata plan to confirm it is a bare land plan and to see what is common property. Read the bylaws and any building scheme. Ask for the depreciation report and the reserve balance, with particular attention to roads, water and sewer. Ask who operates the utilities. See strata documents when buying.
Questions councils and owners ask
What is a bare land strata in BC?
A strata in which the strata lots are parcels of land defined by survey markers, with shared common property such as roads and services.
Does the strata insure my house in a bare land strata?
No. The strata insures common property and common assets. Each owner insures the buildings on their lot.
Do I need strata approval to renovate my house?
Standard Bylaw 5 does not apply to bare land strata lots, but your strata may have its own building bylaws, and a building scheme may be registered on title.
Do bare land stratas need a depreciation report?
Yes, if they have five or more strata lots.
Who maintains the roads?
The strata corporation, if the roads are common property.
Roads, wells and budgets still need minutes
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This page is general information for BC strata corporations, not legal advice. Your strata's own filed bylaws may differ from the Standard Bylaws. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.
Related guides
Strata vs Condo
Common Property
Owner Insurance
Depreciation Reports
Self-Managed Stratas
The Standard Bylaws