Stormwater Utility

Your stormwater utility fee is determined by the impact your property has on the stormwater system. 

All properties that use stormwater services contribute to the Stormwater Utility, the same as the water and sewer utilities.You can influence how much you pay by reducing impervious area in new builds/major renovations and/or managing stormwater on site. You can also receive financial incentives through our Rainwater Rewards Program to install green rain water management tools on your property to help manage rainwater more sustainably.

Stormwater utilities is an equitable way to fund the stormwater system. They have been identified as a best practice by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and have been increasingly adopted across Canada.

Paying Your Bill

The stormwater utility bill is sent annually to property owners. Property owners should receive their stormwater bill by mid-November.

We offer a variety of ways to pay your utility bills. You can add your stormwater account to your MyCity Online profile to access your information online 24 hours a day. Pre-authorized payment is available.

Important: If paying through online banking, please remember to set up a new account; do not use your water and sewer utility account number.

Your stormwater utility account number is listed at the top of your bill:

Find answers to common questions about City of Victoria Utilities here.

How are Stormwater Charges Determined?

Your stormwater utility charges are based on the following characteristics that are specific to your property:

1. Impervious Area: This refers to hard surfaces such as roofs, parking areas and driveways. Rainwater flows off these areas and is diverted into the stormwater system.

  • How this is determined: Impervious surface areas were measured through building plans, aerial photography and GIS mapping technology. 
  • Rate effective January 1, 2023: $0.7597 per square metre.

2. Street Cleaning:  Keeping our streets clean goes a long way to keeping our stormwater clean.

  • How this is determined: The length of your property's street frontage, and your street type.
  • Rate effective January 1, 2023: Charged per metre of street frontage, rates vary by street type.
    • Local Streets - $1.90;  Collector Streets - $4.04
    • Arterial Streets - $4.56;  Downtown Streets - $45.50
  • Note: Low Density Residential properties are charged the Local Streets rate regardless of street type

3. Intensity Code: This refers to the impact a property has on the stormwater system, based on the property type.

  • How this is determined: Your property type, as determined by BC Assessment.
  • Annual Rate effective January 1, 2023: Flat fee by property type.
    • Low Density Residential - $0; Multi-family Residential - $84.73; Civic / Institutional - $75.04; Commercial / Industrial - $155.20

4. Codes of Practice Program: This is a program to clean stormwater before it leaves a property.

  • How this is determined: Properties will be registered in the program if they have 10 or more parking spaces, are automotive businesses, recreation facilities, recycling operations, storage yards, or have construction activities onsite.
  • Annual Rate effective January 1, 2023: $172.55 per registered property

Rainwater Rewards Credit and Rebates: The new utility offers financial incentives for sustainable rainwater management, including rain gardens, cisterns and permeable (absorbent) paved areas. Learn more here.

Contact 

If you have any questions about the stormwater utility or the Rainwater Rewards program, please contact the Stormwater Specialist at 250.361.0443 or stormwater@victoria.ca.

About the Stormwater Utility

The stormwater utility was introduced in 2016. Here is an overview of the utility:

  • Before 2016, all stormwater fees were included in property taxes and based on assessed property value
  • The majority of of stormwater fees was removed from property taxes and are now charged through the stormwater utility; a small portion will remain for roads and rights of way
  • This system provides greater fairness, with charges based on your property's characteristics
  • Changing how properties are billed for stormwater does not generate new revenue for the City

The stormwater utility was informed by extensive public engagement. Learn more here.

What is Stormwater?

Stormwater is rain that lands on hard surfaces and then flows into drains and pipes.

The stormwater system helps to manage the rain and runoff in Victoria, including:

  • Reducing flooding by moving excess stormwater away from properties
  • Separating some of the oil, metals, sand and soil that would otherwise flow into our waterways and ocean
  • Use rain as a resource, capturing it for reuse in landscaping or slowing, cleaning and releasing it back into the natural water table
  • Increasing our ability to deal with a changing climate and rainfall patterns

Learn more about our stormwater system.

Related Links

City of Victoria Utilities
Rainwater Rewards Program
Stormwater Utility
Our Stormwater System
Emergency Contact Information

Learn More

Watch this video to learn more about the charges and benefits associated with the stormwater utility: