2026 - 2030 Surrey Financial Plan

TAXES, UTILITIES AND ASSESSMENTS

UTILITIES The Property & Payment Services Section is also responsible for administering utility billing. Water and sewer services are billed through a dedicated utility bill, while solid waste collection charges are incorporated into the annual property tax notice. Utility bills are issued either annually for properties without water meters or three times per year, depending on the property’s location within the City, for those with a water meter. The City introduced mandatory water metering in 1998 for all newly constructed residential and commercial properties and has since expanded coverage through voluntary metering programs for existing homes. As a result, the majority of residential properties, as well as most commercial and industrial properties, are now metered. With more than 74,500 meters installed—representing over two-thirds of all properties—this program continues to support the City’s transition toward a comprehensive user-pay system for water and sewer services.

Annual flat-rate utility accounts are billed in late February each year and are due by April 2 nd . A late payment penalty of 5% will be applied to any overdue balance. An additional 5% penalty will be applied to any outstanding balance remaining after July 2 nd .

Metered utility accounts are billed every four months (three times per year) with due dates on the 2 nd of the month in which it is due. A 5% late payment penalty will be applied to any overdue balance. Each bill includes charges based on actual metered usage, along with a base service fee.

Surrey's utilities have several different categories of users and each category may have a separate rate schedule. The rates listed below are for Single Family Dwellings ("SFD"): WATER RATES The 2026 metered water rate is $1.4116 per cubic metre, representing an increase of $0.0709 per cubic metre, or 5.3%, over the 2025 rate. This adjustment reflects a 6.4% increase in Metro Vancouver bulk water charges, along with the City’s ongoing operating and capital requirements for the water utility. For the average metered SFD, with an estimated annual consumption of 360 cubic metres, this results in an increase of approximately $25.52 per year. For properties without water meters, the flat water rate has been adjusted to reflect the same per-unit increase, based on the estimated average consumption of 800 cubic metres per year for non-metered residential accounts. As a result, flat rate customers will experience an annual increase of approximately $56.72.

City of Surrey | 2026—2030 Financial Plan | Community Profile

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