Water Information

The Water Rate card has information about the current Water and Sewer Rates. 

How water bills are calculated

Four charges on every residential water bill are added together to formulate your bimonthly water bill.

1. Water Volumetric Charge:  The total consumption multiplied by the water volumetric rate.
2. Sewer Volumetric Charge:  The total consumption multiplied by the sewer volumetric rate.
3. Water Service Charge:  This is a flat rate charge based on the size of the water meter at the property.
4. Sewer Service Charge: This is a flat rate charge based on the size of the water meter at the property.

Water billing cycle

• Residential accounts: Every two months
• Commercial accounts: Every month

Payment options

• At the bank: Pay through your financial institution, in person at the bank, or through your online banking.
• Pre-authorized payments:  Sign up for pre-authorized water bill payments. Visit the Pre-Authorized Water Payments page for details and an application form. 
• In-person or use a drop-box:  Business hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays
  • City Hall, 4310 Queen Street:  Visit the Finance counter or use a drop-box located outside on the Erie Avenue side of the building and at the front door of City Hall facing Queen Street.
  • MacBain Community Centre, 7150 Montrose Road:  Visit the customer service counter or use a drop-box located outside the main entrance or inside the main building beside the office entrance.
• Pay online:  Visit the City Dashboard to create a profile and add your water account(s).  A convenience fee is applied to credit card payments.

Mailing address change

You can use any of the following options:

• Complete the online Mailing Address Change Request Form online or through your City Dashboard Account
• Email the request to [email protected]
• Mail a letter requesting the change to: City of Niagara Falls, Attention Water Billing, P.O. Box 1023, 4310 Queen St., Niagara Falls, ON  L2E 6X5
• Complete the form in person at City Hall or the MacBain Community Centre

Change or add a name to a water account

You can use any of the following options:

• Email the request to [email protected]
• Mail a letter requesting the change to: City of Niagara Falls, Attention Water Billing, P.O. Box 1023, 4310 Queen St., Niagara Falls, ON  L2E 6X5

Once we receive your name change request, a city staff member will contact you if supporting documentation is required.  For all registered owner water accounts, the name requested to be added to the water account must also appear on the registered ownership of the property.

For Sellers and buyers

Send the following requested documents by email to [email protected] or fax to 905-356-2082.

Step 1:  Send a lawyer’s letter of notification

Ask your lawyer to send a Letter of Notification for your move, requesting a final water meter reading. The letter must include:

• Seller’s name and forwarding address for the final bill
• Buyer’s name
• Closing date
• Buyer’s lawyer’s contact details

Step 2:  Send a copy of the deed

After the sale closes, the buyer’s lawyer must send a copy of the Deed so we can create a new account and update property tax records.

Request a water meter inspection for a property sale

To prepare for your upcoming property sale or purchase, a water meter inspection can be performed to ensure water meter compliance and to avoid any unexpected reluctant charges on the water bill. There is a service fee for this inspection.

Contact Water and Wastewater Services for more information and to book an inspection by calling 905-356-7521 ext. 6300.

For tenants moving out

If the water bill is in your name, complete the Tenant Water Account Move Form before your move date. Fill out all required fields, including any needed documents, and indicate the date you are moving out and a forwarding address for your final bill. Select your refund method for any credit balance. Email the completed form to [email protected].

Note: Due to the Water/Sewer Collection Policy updates, tenants cannot set up new water or wastewater accounts.

Final bills and payments

We cancel all Pre-Authorized Plans for final bills when you move or sell a property. You must pay the final bill to our office, as it will not be withdrawn automatically.

Once we receive all the necessary information from the lawyer or you, we will have the meter reader go to the property on the closing or move-out date and read the meter. We will then finalize your account and send your final bill to the forwarding address that was provided.

Refunds

The City of Niagara Falls now offers refunds by direct deposit to your bank account.  To register for direct deposit, please complete the EFT Form and submit it to accounts payable, [email protected], with either a void cheque or direct deposit form issued from your banking institution. Please ensure all documentation is signed and dated in order to be accepted. If the EFT Form is not received, any credit balance refund will default to payment by cheque. The City of Niagara Falls issues cheques on a monthly basis, and as such, it is encouraged to register for direct deposit to ensure your refund is received promptly.

• All outstanding balances are subject to a 1.25% penalty, to be added to the water account at the beginning of each month.
• Penalty fees may not be waived.
• Failure to receive a bill does not excuse an account holder from the responsibility to pay.
• Past-due accounts over 60 days in arrears with a balance of over $200.00 will be transferred to the tax roll.  A transfer fee will be applied.

Use our water bill calculator tool to estimate your water bill.

Visit the Water & Property Tax Relief Programs page for information and to apply.

Change to tenant accounts

The City will not open water accounts in a tenant’s name. All new water accounts must be in the name of the property’s registered owner.

• Policy 700.23 Water/Sewer Collection Policy Changes
• FAQ’s for Tenant Billing

Fixed charges for property owners

Property owners will be billed for fixed water and wastewater charges unless the property has no structure with water access. This change ensures the proper maintenance and replacement of municipal services up to the property line.

• Policy 700.27 Water Disconnection and Reconnection Policy
• FAQ Water Disconnection and Reconnection Policy

Other policies and reports

• Water and Wastewater Long-Range Financial Plan, April 2019
• 700.24 High Water Consumption Adjustment Policy
• 700.25 Water/Sewer Back Billing Policy
• 700.26 Reluctant Water/Sewer Charges Policy
• 700.29 Collection of Water/Sewer Arrears from Condominiums Policy
• 700.30 Estimating Consumption on Malfunctioning Water Meters Policy

Water by-law

• City of Niagara Falls Water By-law

Water Billing Inquiries:  905-356-7521 ext. 4347 or [email protected]

24 Hour Emergency Water and Sewer:  905-356-1355

No.  The City does not sell water filtration equipment and is not associated with any water filtration vendors, including door-to-door salespeople.  

Ontario has banned door-to-door sales of water filters, making this activity illegal (as of March 1, 2018). Visit the Ontario News Release to read more about the ban and to see the list of other items this law applies to. Those with concerns can contact the Niagara Regional Police at 905-688-4111.

There have been reports of door-to-door salespeople selling water filtration equipment or requesting an inspection of your water lines indicating they are working with the City of Niagara Falls or the Province of Ontario. 

They are also requesting personal information on your utility accounts.  You are not required to provide anyone with access or information.

If a City employee is required to enter your household, they will provide proper identification and will be driving a vehicle clearly marked as The City of Niagara Falls. Only City employees will be dressed in City uniforms, provide proper identification and drive clearly marked City vehicles.  

If you have any concerns about City work, please contact Municipal Works at 905-356-7521 ext. 6322.

Visit our Water System page for more information on water services.

To manually read your water meter read all the digits from left to right.  If our office has requested a manual reading to be submitted, you can forward all digits from the water meter or submit a photo of the water meter register to [email protected].

1. Use the Water Bill Calculator to help pro-rate water bills for tenants.  Property owners must get an off-cycle reading from the property to give tenants accurate consumption charges. This calculator will only provide prorated flat service charges based on meter size for one or two months.
2. Create a City Dashboard account to access your billing history, previous billing periods, reads and reading dates.

There is a transmitter on the outside of your home that is connected by wire to your meter on the interior of your property. Once every two months, a reading will be collected from your transmitter to calculate the consumption for the current billing period.

Even a small leak can add up to more costs each day. Perform routine consumption checks to see if there is unintended water usage.

1. Record the water meter reading before bed or when the house is empty for a few hours. Make sure no water is being used during this time
2. When you return, check the meter again. The reading should be the same. If it has changed, you likely have a leak.

• Most leaks in residential plumbing are from toilets (faulty toilet valve/float or running toilets). A simple test to check for leaks is to put food colouring in the toilet tank. Do not touch the toilet for about 30 minutes. If any of the dye appears in the toilet bowl, the toilet leaks and needs to be fixed.
• Other common causes of leaks: Interior/exterior taps, underground sprinkler system, large appliances, furnace humidifier, water-cooled air conditioner, and heat pump.

Use the Water Bill Calculator to estimate the cost of filling your pool.

You'll need to know your pool's volume in cubic metres. If you only have the number of litres in your pool, divide that amount by 1,000 to get the cubic metres.

When filling a pool, there are no rebates or discounts for any portion of your water bill.