Utilities

Water, Sewer and Garbage Utility Billing

The City of New Westminster supplies Water, Sewer and Garbage services to its residents. Residential customers are billed an annual flat rate for each in February of each year. Commercial and Industrial customers are billed monthly on the basis of regularly scheduled water meter readings. Sewer is billed monthly on the basis of 80% of the billed water consumption for the preceding three month.

For more information, please select one of the following:
Residential Flat Rate Utilities
Secondary Suites
Payment Options
Waiver Program
Multifamily Properties
Unpaid Accounts

Residential Flat Rate Utilities

The Residential Flat Rate Utilities include Water, Sewer and Solid Waste (garbage and recycling). These Utilities are billed once a year at the end of February. They are billed at a flat rate, that is each single family residence is billed the same amount. The flat rate charges are intended to be a reflection of average consumption levels based on normal usage patterns. The rates are established by bylaw approved by City Council on an annual basis.

The current approved rates for Water, Sewer and Solid Waste charges are:
 

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Secondary Suites

A house with a secondary suite is charged an additional amount for the Residential Flat Rate utilities equal to 50% of the charge for a single family residence.

Payment Options
To make paying utility bill and property taxes as convenient as possible, the following options are available:

• By mail or in person at:
511 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, B.C., V3L 1H9
Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Cash, cheque or debit card accepted at City Hall. After hours payments may be dropped off in the drop-off box located at the north entrance of City Hall.
• At any chartered bank and participating trust companies and credit unions.
• By internet and telephone banking services. Please contact your bank or financial institution for further information.
• Authorized agents:
    • Royal City Drugs, 708 6th Street, New Westminster
    • At automated banking machines.
• Pre-authorized Payment (for Property Taxes and Residential Flat Rate Utilities only). This program allows you to prepay next year's taxes, or both, residential flat rate utilities by automatic monthly withdrawals from your bank account.
• Download Flat Rate Pre-authorized Pre-Payment Form - PDF

Waiver Program
For customers over the age of 65, and living alone in their own home, the City has offered a waiver program which provides a reduction of the Residential Flat Rate Utilities by 25%. A Waiver Application form is mailed to all residents who made the application in the preceding year.

Multifamily Properties
In addition to billing for Residential Flat Rate Utilities, the City also has a substantial number of multifamily properties. These are billed for water on the basis of monthly water meter readings, either to the building owner, if it is a rental property, or to the strata-council, if it is a stratified building. In addition, they are billed annually for sewer, on a flat rate basis.

Multifamily buildings are also billed, on the basis of the volume of garbage removed, for their solid waste management. These properties have the option of engaging the City to pick up their garbage, or to employ commercial Solid Waste Management firm to do the job.

Unpaid Accounts
Balances of all Utilities billed by the City (including Water, Sewer, Solid Waste and Electrical Utilities) remaining unpaid at the end of the year are required by the Local Government Act to be transferred to the Property Tax account at the beginning of the following year, and become subject to interest as Taxes in Arrears from that date.