How to read a strata plan
Arguments about who owns the patio, the parking stall or the crawl space usually end the same way: someone finally looks at the strata plan. It is the legal source of truth, and it is readable once you know its conventions.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
A strata plan is the survey plan registered at the Land Title Office that creates the strata lots and the common property. To read it: find your strata lot number, trace its boundaries and area on the floor plan, look for labels such as "LCP" or "Limited Common Property" with the lot it serves, and check the Schedule of Unit Entitlement. Then check for later filings that designate limited common property by resolution. Everything not shown as a strata lot is common property.
How to get it
- From the strata. The registered strata plan and any amendments are records the strata must keep, and an owner may ask for a copy (sections 35 and 36).
- From the Land Title and Survey Authority. Anyone can order a strata plan by its number for a fee, directly or through a lawyer, notary, real estate licensee or registry agent.
- From your purchase file. Your lawyer or notary probably obtained it when you bought.
You need the strata plan number: letters and digits such as VIS1234, LMS2345, BCS3456 or EPS4567. It appears on your title, property tax notice and strata correspondence. The prefix reflects the land title district and era in which the plan was filed.
The parts of a strata plan
| Part | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Title or cover sheet | Plan number, legal description of the land, surveyor's certificate, date of deposit, type of plan |
| Site plan | The parcel, building outlines, roads, and outdoor areas |
| Floor plans, level by level | Each strata lot's outline, number and area, and the common and limited common property on that level |
| Cross-sections, in some plans | Vertical boundaries between levels |
| Schedule of Unit Entitlement (Form V) | Each lot's unit entitlement |
| Schedule of Voting Rights (Form W), if any | Votes per lot where they differ from one each |
| Notations and legends | Abbreviations and how boundaries are defined |
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Reading your strata's minutes? Upload a set for a free report card and see what a complete record should contain.
Finding your strata lot
Strata lot numbers are not unit numbers. Unit 302 might be strata lot 15. The plan usually shows both, or your title gives the lot number. On the floor plan for your level, look for the outline marked "SL 15" with an area in square metres.
- One lot can have several parts. A parking stall or storage locker that is part of your strata lot is labelled "Pt. SL 15" or similar on another sheet.
- Area. The figure is the lot's area as surveyed, to the boundaries defined on the plan. It will not match a realtor's measurement of interior floor space exactly.
- Habitable area used for unit entitlement excludes certain spaces.
Reading boundaries
Unless the plan shows otherwise, where a strata lot is separated from another lot or common property by a wall, floor or ceiling, the boundary is midway between the surfaces of the structural portion of that wall, floor or ceiling (section 68). Many plans state their own convention in a note, for example that boundaries are the centre of walls, or the exterior face, or the interior finished surface. Read the notes on the first sheet.
Townhouse plans may include the ground beneath or the airspace above. Bare land strata plans define lots by survey markers on the ground, like ordinary subdivision lots.
Finding limited common property
Limited common property is common property designated for the exclusive use of one or more lots. On the plan it is typically outlined and labelled "LCP", "L.C.P." or "Limited Common Property", followed by the lot it serves: "LCP SL 15". Balconies, patios, yards, roof decks, parking stalls and lockers are the usual candidates.
If an area has no strata lot number and no LCP label, it is ordinary common property, however much it looks like it belongs to one unit.
Check for later filings
The original plan is not always the whole story.
- Plan amendments change lots or designations and are filed as new sheets.
- Section 74 resolutions designate limited common property by a 3/4 vote, filed with a sketch plan. They are not drawn onto the original plan. They appear as separate documents on the strata's common property record at the Land Title Office.
- Parking designated by the developer before the first AGM may be on an amendment (section 258).
- Easements and covenants affecting the common property are also recorded there.
Ask for a search of the common property record as well as the plan. See limited common property.
The Schedule of Unit Entitlement
This table lists each strata lot with a number. Your share of strata fees and levies is your number divided by the total at the bottom. Check that the lot's entitlement is in line with its size compared with similar units. See unit entitlement.
What the plan does not tell you
- Parking and lockers assigned by council under section 76, or by a developer's lease. Check the Form B and the strata's parking register.
- Bylaws and rules.
- Alterations made since the plan was filed.
- Condition.
- Pipes and wires. Their status as common property depends on what they serve, not on the drawing.
Using the plan in a dispute
Quote the plan by sheet number in your letter to council, and attach the page. For questions the plan does not clearly answer, a BC land surveyor can give an opinion, and a lawyer can advise on its effect. See what is common property.
Questions councils and owners ask
Where can I get a copy of my strata plan?
From the strata corporation, or from the Land Title and Survey Authority using the strata plan number.
Is my strata lot number the same as my unit number?
Usually not. The plan or your title shows the strata lot number.
How do I know if my balcony is limited common property?
Look for an "LCP" label with your strata lot number on the plan, and check for later resolutions filed at the Land Title Office.
What does LCP mean on a strata plan?
Limited common property: common property designated for the exclusive use of the lot or lots named.
Does the strata plan show my parking stall?
Only if the stall is part of a strata lot or limited common property. Stalls assigned by council are not on the plan.
The plan shows what you own. The minutes show how it is run
Upload a set of minutes to our free report card, or have StrataMinutes prepare yours.
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For a 30-lot strata, that is under $1 a lot each month. Have the strata pay: free council approval kit.
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
Common Property
Limited Common Property
Unit Entitlement
Parking and Storage Rules
Strata Documents When Buying
Getting Strata Bylaws