If your strata corporation has five or more lots and sits in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley or the Capital Regional District, it needs an Electrical Planning Report by December 31, 2026. That is now weeks away, and the people qualified to write these reports are booking out. Everywhere else in BC, the deadline is December 31, 2028.
Who has to meet the December 31, 2026 deadline
- Strata corporations with five or more strata lots in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, the Fraser Valley Regional District or the Capital Regional District.
- Not islands in those districts that are reachable only by air or boat, such as Bowen Island and the Southern Gulf Islands. They fall into the December 31, 2028 group with the rest of BC.
- Not new strata corporations, which have five years from the deposit of the strata plan instead. Phased strata corporations have their own timelines under section 5.9 of the Strata Property Regulation.
What an Electrical Planning Report covers
An EPR is an assessment of the building's electrical infrastructure: the load the system carries today, the spare capacity left, and whether it can support what owners will ask for next. The required content is set out in sections 5.7 to 5.12 of the Strata Property Regulation.
- Present load and headroom: what the system carries now and how much capacity is left.
- EV charging: how many chargers the existing service could support, and what it would take to support more.
- Solar readiness: whether the system could carry a solar retrofit.
- Fuel switching: whether moving from natural gas or propane to electric heating or hot water is feasible.
It is a separate requirement from your depreciation report, with a separate deadline and different qualified preparers. Our article on the difference covers this in more detail.
Is an Electrical Planning Report the same as a depreciation report? →
If you have not started yet
- Confirm your deadline. Check your regional district and lot count, and whether you are on an island that falls into the 2028 group.
- Book a qualified preparer now. The same small pool of engineers and technologists is serving every strata with this deadline, and the queue gets longer as December 31 gets closer.
- Pull together what the strata already has: electrical drawings, any past electrical inspection or upgrade reports, and your depreciation report. It shortens the work.
- Check BC Hydro funding before you book. For eligible buildings, BC Hydro funds an Opportunity Assessment and an EV Ready Plan, and booking all three reports together can bring the EPR cost down a long way.
- Line it up with your depreciation report. If your depreciation report is also due, handling both as one project means one set of council decisions and one conversation with owners.
It does not expire
Once your strata has an EPR, the obligation is met. There is no renewal cycle, unlike a depreciation report, which must be renewed at least every five years.
How Reserve Plus can help
Reserve Plus prepares both depreciation reports and Electrical Planning Reports. Each EPR is prepared and signed by an engineering professional registered with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. We can prepare yours on its own or alongside your depreciation report, with a bundle discount when the two are combined in one engagement.
For buildings that qualify for BC Hydro funding, a typical bundle of the Opportunity Assessment, EV Ready Plan and EPR costs about $3,000 net to the strata, less than a standalone EPR, which typically costs $5,000 to $7,000. We confirm eligibility for your building before you commit.
See the BC Hydro bundle and eligibility →
Common questions
When is the BC Electrical Planning Report deadline?
December 31, 2026 for strata corporations with five or more lots in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, the Fraser Valley Regional District and the Capital Regional District, and December 31, 2028 everywhere else in BC. Islands in those three districts reachable only by air or boat, such as Bowen Island and the Southern Gulf Islands, fall into the 2028 group. A new strata corporation has five years from the deposit of its strata plan.
Does an Electrical Planning Report need to be renewed?
No. Unlike a depreciation report, which must be renewed at least every five years, an Electrical Planning Report has no renewal cycle. The obligation is to obtain one by your deadline.
Who can prepare an Electrical Planning Report?
A professional engineer or professional licensee (engineering) registered with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, or an applied science technologist or certified technician registered with ASTTBC. For Part 9 buildings only, a journeyperson in the construction or industrial electrician trades is also eligible.
Keep your reserve fund plan current with myRPlanner
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