How often does a strata council have to meet?
Owners often ask why council has not met in four months. Council members ask whether they really need to meet every month. The Act is silent on the number, but not on everything around it.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
The Strata Property Act and the Standard Bylaws set no minimum number of council meetings. Council must meet often enough to carry out its duties, and certain events force a meeting: electing officers after the AGM, and holding a hearing within four weeks of an owner's or tenant's request (section 34.1). Under Standard Bylaw 14, any council member may call a meeting on one week's notice, and council must inform owners about a meeting as soon as feasible after it is called.
What the law says
Search the Act, the Regulation and the Standard Bylaws for a required number of council meetings and you will not find one. What you will find:
- Standard Bylaw 13: at the first council meeting after each AGM, council must elect its officers. So there is at least one.
- Standard Bylaw 14: any council member may call a council meeting by giving the others at least one week's notice, specifying the reason. The notice need not be in writing.
- Section 34.1: if an owner or tenant requests a hearing in writing, council must hold a council meeting to hear them within four weeks.
- Section 31: each council member must act honestly and in good faith and exercise the care, diligence and skill of a reasonably prudent person. A council that never meets is unlikely to meet that standard.
Some stratas have their own bylaw setting a minimum, such as quarterly meetings. Check yours.
What is typical
| Strata | Common schedule |
|---|---|
| Large building, professionally managed | Monthly, or ten times a year |
| Mid-sized, managed or self-managed | Every one to two months |
| Small strata, under ten lots | Quarterly, plus as needed |
| Duplex or triplex | As needed, with a written record |
More meetings are needed during a major project, a budget season or a dispute. Fewer in a quiet summer.
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Every decision on this page has to end up in the minutes, with the vote. Send us your notes or a recording and we prepare the minutes for you. Your first month is free.
Calling a meeting
Under Standard Bylaw 14:
- One week's notice to the other council members, with the reason.
- Shorter notice is allowed if all council members consent in advance, or if the meeting is required to deal with an emergency and all council members either consent in advance or are unavailable to consent after reasonable attempts to contact them.
- Owners must be informed about a council meeting as soon as feasible after the meeting has been called.
That last point is often missed. Owners have a right to attend as observers (Standard Bylaw 17), which means little if they do not know when council meets. A posted annual schedule in the lobby or on the strata's website satisfies it for regular meetings. Tell owners about any extra meeting when it is called.
Deciding things between meetings
Under the Standard Bylaws, decisions are made at meetings, by a majority of the council members present (Standard Bylaw 18). A council that meets rarely is tempted to decide by email. Unless the strata has a bylaw allowing that, the better options are a short electronic meeting, which Standard Bylaw 17 permits, or delegated spending authority under Standard Bylaw 20. Anything decided informally should be ratified at the next meeting. See council email voting.
Every meeting needs minutes
However often council meets, each meeting produces minutes, including the results of votes (section 35), and council must inform owners of those minutes within two weeks of the meeting, whether or not they have been approved (Standard Bylaw 19). A ten-minute phone meeting to approve a quotation is still a meeting and still needs minutes. See when minutes must go to owners.
If council is not meeting
An owner concerned that council has gone quiet can:
- Write to council and ask when the next meeting is.
- Request a hearing under section 34.1, which obliges council to meet within four weeks.
- Ask to see the minutes under section 36. Missing minutes confirm the problem.
- Organize a demand for a special general meeting with 20% of the votes, to direct council by majority vote (section 27) or to elect a new one.
See when council does not respond.
Setting a schedule that works
At the first meeting after the AGM, set the year's dates by motion and record them. A fixed evening, such as the second Tuesday, is easy to remember. Put the schedule where owners can see it. Build the agenda from the last meeting's action list and send it a few days ahead. A council that meets regularly for an hour does better than one that meets rarely for four.
Questions councils and owners ask
Is there a legal minimum number of strata council meetings in BC?
No. Neither the Act nor the Standard Bylaws sets one, though your strata's own bylaws might.
Who can call a council meeting?
Any council member, on one week's notice to the others stating the reason, under Standard Bylaw 14.
Do owners have to be told about council meetings?
Yes. Council must inform owners about a council meeting as soon as feasible after it has been called.
Can council meet by phone or video?
Yes, at council's option, so long as all participants can communicate with each other.
Does a short emergency meeting need minutes?
Yes. Every council meeting needs minutes, including the results of votes.
However often you meet, the minutes are due in two weeks
Monthly or quarterly, each meeting needs minutes to owners within two weeks. StrataMinutes prepares them from your notes, usually within minutes.
Free for 30 days, then $29 a month. Cancel anytime.
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
Council Email Voting
First Council Meeting After the AGM
Meeting Agenda
When Minutes Must Go Out
Observers
Strata Annual Calendar