Can a strata council vote by email?
Something comes up between meetings, the president emails the group, four people reply "agreed", and the work goes ahead. It happens in most buildings. Whether it was a valid decision is another matter.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
Under the Standard Bylaws, no. Council decisions must be made by a majority of council members present in person at a meeting (Standard Bylaw 18), and an electronic meeting only counts if everyone can communicate with each other (Standard Bylaw 17), which a chain of emails does not achieve. A strata can pass its own bylaw allowing email decisions. Without one, the safe course is to hold a short meeting by phone or video, or to ratify the email decision by motion at the next council meeting and record it in the minutes.
What the Standard Bylaws require
Three bylaws work together.
- Standard Bylaw 14: any council member may call a council meeting on one week's notice, or less if all members consent or it is an emergency.
- Standard Bylaw 17: council meetings may be held by electronic means, so long as all council members and other participants can communicate with each other. Members attending that way are deemed present in person.
- Standard Bylaw 18: decisions must be made by a majority of council members present in person at the meeting, and the results of all votes must be recorded in the minutes.
Read together, a decision needs a meeting. A telephone or video call is a meeting. An email thread, where people reply hours apart and cannot hear one another, is not. The Civil Resolution Tribunal has considered email votes in a number of disputes, and has generally treated them as outside the Standard Bylaws, while often declining to undo a decision that council later confirmed at a proper meeting.
Why it matters
- A fine or decision can be challenged. A decision that affects an owner, such as a fine or a refused request, is the kind most likely to be tested.
- Owners lose their right to observe. Owners may attend council meetings as observers. Decisions made by email happen out of sight.
- There is no record. Section 35 requires minutes of council meetings. An email thread is not minutes, and it leaves with the council members who hold it.
- Quorum and conflicts are unclear. Who "attended" an email vote? Did the member with a conflict stay out of it?
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Not sure your own minutes measure up? Upload your last set for a free report card, or send us your notes and receive finished minutes.
Three proper ways to decide between meetings
- Hold a short electronic meeting. A ten-minute call on reasonable notice is a real meeting. Under Standard Bylaw 14(3), notice can be shorter than a week if all council members consent or in an emergency. Take minutes.
- Use delegated authority. Under Standard Bylaw 20, council can delegate spending authority in advance, with a maximum amount and stated purposes. A council member acting inside that delegation does not need a new vote. Standard Bylaw 21 also lets a council member spend to repair common property where immediately required to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage.
- Adopt an email voting bylaw. A strata corporation may amend its bylaws by a 3/4 vote at a general meeting and file the amendment at the Land Title Office. A workable bylaw says which decisions may be made by email, requires that all council members be sent the motion, sets a response period, and requires the result to be recorded in the minutes of the next meeting.
How to ratify an email decision
If the email vote has already happened, bring it to the next council meeting and confirm it by motion. Ratification puts the decision in the record and shows a properly constituted meeting stands behind it.
Sample minute wording
6.3 Ratification of decision made between meetings. On April 18, council members were polled by email regarding an urgent repair to the parkade drain. MOVED and SECONDED that council ratify the approval of the quotation of Island Drain Services at a cost of $1,480 plus GST, paid from the operating fund. CARRIED (5 in favour, 0 opposed).
Ratify promptly. Do not ratify decisions that required a hearing or notice to an owner as though the steps had been taken. For those, start again and do it properly.
Decisions that should never be made by email
- Fines and bylaw contravention findings. Section 135 requires written particulars and an opportunity to answer, including a hearing if requested.
- Decisions after a hearing under section 34.1.
- Anything where a member has a conflict of interest, since section 32 requires that member to leave the meeting for the discussion and vote.
- Significant contracts and spending that owners would expect to see debated.
A simple council policy
Until a bylaw is in place, many councils adopt a working rule by motion: email is for information and scheduling, urgent matters get a call with minutes, and anything decided outside a meeting is ratified at the next one. Record that motion in the minutes so future councils inherit it. See how often council must meet.
Questions councils and owners ask
Is an email vote by strata council legal in BC?
Not under the Standard Bylaws, which require decisions by a majority of members present at a meeting. It can be valid if your strata has passed and filed a bylaw permitting it.
What should council do after voting by email?
Ratify the decision by motion at the next council meeting and record the motion and vote in the minutes.
Does a group text or chat count as a council meeting?
No. An electronic meeting requires that all participants can communicate with each other at the same time, as on a phone or video call.
Can council approve minutes by email?
Minutes can be circulated by email for comment, but approval is a decision and belongs at a meeting unless your bylaws allow otherwise.
Can owners see council's emails?
Correspondence sent or received by the strata corporation and council is a record the strata must keep. See correspondence records.
Every decision on the record, even the ones made in a hurry
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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
Electronic Meetings
How Often Council Must Meet
Emergency Repairs
Quorum Rules
Motion Wording Examples
Common Minutes Mistakes