What is a strata council, and what do its members do?
Every strata corporation in BC has a council: a small group of owners, elected each year, who make the everyday decisions for everyone else. Here is how it works.
Last reviewed November 13, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
A strata council is the group of owners elected at each AGM to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the strata corporation (section 26 of the Strata Property Act), including enforcing bylaws and rules. Under the Standard Bylaws, council has 3 to 7 members, elected at the AGM, and at its first meeting elects a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. Council members are volunteers, are usually unpaid, and must act honestly and in good faith in the best interests of the strata. Owners can direct council by majority vote at a general meeting, within limits.
Strata corporation vs strata council
The strata corporation is all the owners together, a legal entity named "The Owners, Strata Plan [number]." It owns the common property and common assets, signs contracts, collects fees and can sue and be sued.
The strata council is the smaller group the owners elect to run things between general meetings. Council does not own anything, and its decisions are the strata corporation's decisions. Owners make the biggest decisions themselves at general meetings: the budget, special levies, bylaw changes and spending from the contingency reserve fund. See strata corporation vs council.
Size, election and terms
Under the Standard Bylaws, which apply unless your strata has filed different ones:
| Topic | Standard Bylaw rule |
|---|---|
| Size | At least 3 and no more than 7 members (Bylaw 9); in a strata with fewer than 4 lots or 4 owners, all owners are on council |
| Election | At each AGM (Bylaw 10) |
| Term | Ends at the end of the AGM at which the new council is elected; members can be re-elected |
| Removal | Owners can remove a member by majority vote at a general meeting and elect a replacement (Bylaw 11) |
| Vacancies | Remaining members can appoint a replacement if a member resigns or cannot act for 2 months or more (Bylaw 12) |
| Officers | President, vice president, secretary and treasurer, elected by council at its first meeting after each AGM (Bylaw 13) |
Who can stand is set by sections 28 and 29: owners, individuals representing corporate owners, and in some cases tenants who have been assigned the landlord's rights. See council eligibility.
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Council work is volunteer work. Hand off the minutes: send us your notes and receive complete, properly formatted minutes. Your first month is free.
The council positions
- President. Chairs council meetings and usually the general meetings, speaks for council, and may cast a second, deciding vote on a tie at council (Standard Bylaw 18(2)). Cannot also be vice president.
- Vice president. Steps in when the president is absent or unable to act, and for the rest of the term if the president leaves office.
- Secretary. The Standard Bylaws do not list the secretary's duties, so they come from your filed bylaws and council practice. In most stratas the secretary handles notices, correspondence and the minutes, and keeps the records owners can request under section 36. See secretary duties.
- Treasurer. Oversees the strata's money: budget preparation, financial statements, monitoring fees and levies, and reporting to owners.
- Members at large. Council members without an officer title. They vote on everything the officers vote on.
A member may hold more than one office, except president and vice president together. Many stratas with a property manager split these duties with the manager. See council roles.
What council can and cannot decide
Council can: run day-to-day operations, hire contractors and a strata manager, spend within the approved budget, make rules for common property, enforce bylaws and rules, hold hearings, approve alterations where the bylaws allow, and handle emergencies.
Council cannot, on its own:
- approve the annual budget (owners do, by majority vote),
- impose a special levy (owners, 3/4 vote),
- change the bylaws (owners, 3/4 vote, filed at the Land Title Office),
- spend from the contingency reserve fund without the owners' vote (majority or 3/4 depending on the purpose, section 96),
- spend more than the unapproved-expenditure limit outside an emergency (section 98).
Owners can direct or restrict council by majority vote at a general meeting (section 27), but not in a way that conflicts with the Act or bylaws, or that interferes with council's discretion to decide individual bylaw contraventions and fines.
Duties and protection
Section 31 requires every council member to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the strata corporation, and with the care, diligence and skill of a reasonably prudent person. Section 32 requires a member with a conflict of interest to disclose it, abstain from voting and leave the room if asked.
In return, a member who acts honestly and in good faith is not personally liable for things done or omitted in council's work (Standard Bylaw 22). The strata's insurance usually includes directors and officers coverage too. See council liability.
The practical workload falls hardest on the secretary, because every meeting needs minutes that owners receive within two weeks. That is the part most councils find easiest to hand off.
Questions councils and owners ask
What is a strata council in simple terms?
The group of owners elected each year to make the everyday decisions for the strata corporation, between general meetings.
How many people are on a strata council in BC?
Under the Standard Bylaws, between 3 and 7. Small stratas with fewer than four lots or owners have every owner on council. Your filed bylaws may set a different number.
What are the positions on a strata council?
President, vice president, secretary and treasurer, plus members at large. Council elects its officers at its first meeting after each AGM.
Are strata council members paid?
Usually not. Under section 34, any pay for council work must be approved by the owners in advance: in the budget, in the bylaws, or by a 3/4 vote at a general meeting.
Can a strata council member be removed?
Yes. Owners can remove one or more members by majority vote at a general meeting and elect replacements at the same meeting (Standard Bylaw 11).
Give the council secretary their evenings back
The secretary's biggest job is the minutes. StrataMinutes turns notes or a recording into finished, compliant minutes. Your first month is free.
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
Strata Corporation vs Council
Council Roles
Council Elections
Council Eligibility
New Council Member Guide
Council Member Liability