Water Bill Information

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

Water billing cycle

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

How water bills are calculated

There are four charges on a water and sewer 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

E-billing

Go paperless! It's fast, convenient, and eco-friendly.

You can opt out of e-billing anytime and go back to receiving paper bills in the mail. After your request is received, e-billing registrations or cancellations will take effect for the next billing period. Once processed, future bills will be sent by mail through Canada Post.

Note: Have your water billing account number handy to complete the request.

How to enroll in or cancel e-billing

• Enroll in e-billing: Complete the enrollment form
• Cancel e-billing: Complete the cancel e-billing form
• Phone 905-356-7521
• Email service@niagarafalls.ca 

Payment options

• Through your bank: Pay in person at your bank, by telephone banking or by online banking
• Pre-authorized payments: Enroll in Standard or Equal Billing Plan, or visit our page to learn more
• In-person or use a drop-box:  
  • City Hall, 4310 Queen Street: Visit the At Your Service counter during City Hall business hours, 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 At Your Service counter during MacBain business hours, or use a drop-box outside the main entrance or inside the 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.
• Pay by credit card: Create a City Dashboard account to access your water and sewer account and make credit card payments online (convenience fee applies)

Change the mailing address for your property tax account(s), water and sewer account(s) and municipal notifications by visiting the Address Change and Lookup page.

As a property owner, you can authorize a third party (such as a family member or property manager) to access account information, receive bills, or make changes to your account for water and/or property taxes.

How to submit a request

You can submit an authorization request in a few easy ways:

• Complete the Account Authorization Request form
• Phone 905-356-7521
• Email service@niagarafalls.ca 

Note: You’ll need your property tax roll number or water billing account number to complete this request.

• Access to a family member's account who has passed away
  • Spouses or family members must submit legal documents for account authorization to add you as an authorized agent to the accounts. No information will be released until full legal documentation is received. Partial documents will not be accepted.
• Adding people to accounts under a company name
  • You may provide us with articles of incorporation naming yourself and/or another authorized user, a business card to serve as proof of ownership and signing authority, or a registered deed
• Adding tenants to a property owner's account
  • We do not provide tenants access to water and/or property tax billing information or the ability to make changes to a property owner’s account. It is the property owner’s responsibility to share billing information as needed. We recommend using the City Dashboard to access your account information at any time.

How to submit a water account move request:

Complete a Move Form: Use our online form to notify the City if you are moving out of a property with the water account in your name, either as a tenant or a property owner.

Note: Due to the water/sewer collection policy updates, tenants cannot set up new water or wastewater accounts.

Ways to submit

You can submit your move notification in a few easy ways:

• Complete the water account move form
• Phone 905-356-7521
• Email service@niagarafalls.ca 

Note: Lawyer notifications are required for property sales. The purchaser’s lawyer must submit a copy of the updated land transfer deed.

For sellers and buyers

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

1. Seller’s name and forwarding address for the final bill
2. Buyer’s name
3. Closing date
4. Buyer’s lawyer’s contact details

Once the Letter of Notification or Move Form is received by our office, the water meter reading will be scheduled for the move date. 

After the sale has closed, the buyer’s lawyer must send a copy of the Deed so our office can transfer the water account and update the property tax records.

The Letter of Notification and a copy of the Deed can be sent by email to water@niagarafalls.ca or fax to 905-356-2082.

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 book an inspection by calling 905-356-7521.

Final bills and payments

Pre-Authorized Plans for water accounts are cancelled for final billing after a move or property sale. Customers will be responsible for paying the final bill since the payment will not be withdrawn from your bank account automatically.

Final bills are sent to the registered mailing address listed on the Deed for any sellers, or to the forwarding address provided by the customer.

Refunds

If your final bill results in a credit balance, our office will automatically return the funds to you. 

We offer refunds by direct deposit to your bank account. To register for direct deposit, please complete the Water Account Move Form to provide your Direct Deposit information.

If EFT information 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.

Moving out?

• Tenants will be required to provide our office prior notification of your upcoming move, if the account is in your name
• Complete a Move Form: Use our online form to notify the City if you are moving out of a property with the water account in your name as a tenant.

Ways to submit

You can submit your move notification in a few easy ways:

• Complete the water account move form
• Phone 905-356-7521
• Email service@niagarafalls.ca 

Moving in?

• Due to the water/sewer collection policy updates, tenants cannot set up new water or wastewater accounts
• We do not provide tenants with access to water and/or property tax billing information or the ability to make changes to a property owner’s account. It is the property owner’s responsibility to share billing information as needed.
• A tenant can remit payment to a water account without being the account holder. Tenants will need the account number and the total amount to be paid.

Overdue payments

• All outstanding balances are subject to 1.25% penalty, to be added to the water account at the beginning of each month
• All residentially billed accounts are sent a Reminder Notice 11 days after the due date has passed for any outstanding amount
• Tenant overdue balances could result in disconnection

Collections and disconnections

• Tenants will be subject to Disconnection after the bill has become 31 days past due. In addition to the late penalties noted above, a $30 Collection Fee will be applied to the account for the issuance of a Disconnection Notice.
• If Disconnection of services occurs due to unpaid arrears, a Disconnection Fee and a Reconnection Fee will be applied to the water account. Full payment of the arrears, Disconnection and Reconnection fees will be required to reactivate the service at the property.
• If you are unable to pay your balance in full by the due date, please call 905-356-7521 or email collections@niagarafalls.ca

Final bills for tenant accounts

• Preauthorized Plans are cancelled when the account is closed. The account holder will need to remit payment for any outstanding amount on the Final Bill.
• Any Security Deposit paid to the City will be applied as credit on a Tenant’s Final Bill
• Any outstanding balance on a Final Bill after the due date has passed will be subject to immediate Third-Party Collections
• If the Final Bill results in a credit balance, a refund will automatically be processed to the account holder either by cheque or EFT (direct deposit). In order to receive any refund by EFT, the EFT section of the Move Form should be completed in full.

• 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 will be transferred to the tax roll. A transfer fee will be applied to the tax account.
• Tenant overdue balances could result in disconnection. Please refer to the Tenant Information section for more details.

For information on how to apply, visit the Water and Property Tax Relief Programs page.

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 rates by-law

Visit the By-law Directory page to view the City of Niagara Falls Water Rates By-law.

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

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). 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 water services, please contact Municipal Works at 905-356-7521 ext. 6322.

To learn how to submit a manual water meter reading, visit the water meter page.

• 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.
• Create a City Dashboard account to access your billing history, previous billing periods, reads and reading dates

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.

Learn hints on how to find a water leak on the water meters page.

A sudden increase in your water bill may be due to several reasons, including:

• A leak on the property. Learn hints on how to find a water leak on the water meters page
• A number of estimated readings followed by an actual reading. If your water usage was under-estimated and your consumption was actually higher than what was estimated, you will see an increase in your current bill.
• An increase in the number of people living at the property
• An increase in water usage due to watering, filling a pool, etc.

Bulk water cards may be purchased through the Water Department, located at our Municipal Service Centre (3200 Stanley Avenue).  

For more information, call 905-356-1355 ext. 6322.