Stormwater Charge

Paying for Stormwater Management

Brampton needs to invest in our stormwater management system to ensure we can maintain services for now and the future. The Brampton Stormwater Charge is effective June 1st, 2020 and will appear on Region of Peel water bills. Most residents and businesses will receive their first bills in August 2020.

Residential taxpayers contribute 80% of property taxes but are responsible for less than half the stormwater runoff. This means residential taxpayers were indirectly subsidising the cost of the stormwater system for other sectors under property tax funding. The average residential homeowner would have to pay $132 per year in their property taxes toward stormwater without the stormwater charge in place. The stormwater charge reduces the cost to that homeowner by 33% ($89 versus $132).

Stormwater Charges

Single-family residential properties are placed into one of five tiers based on measurements of roof areas. A flat rate payable in each tier is as follows.

Residential Property Category (Tier)	Stormwater Charges per year
Extra Small	$ 44.50
Small	$ 62.30
Medium	$ 89.00
Large	$ 115.70
Extra Large	$ 160.20

Multi-family and non-residential properties are charged according to the amount of hard surfaces on the property, as measured directly for each property.

Multi-family residential/non-residential properties	Stormwater Charges per year
Multi-family residential/non-residential properties	$ 89.00 for every 234 m² of hard surface

View My Stormwater Charge Estimate

Exemptions, Credits and Subsidies

The Brampton Stormwater Charge applies to all properties in Brampton excepting those that are exempt from municipal fees and charges by law. Certain other classes of properties are also eligible for Stormwater Charge reductions as follows:

Technical Exemptions

Where a property does not use any part of the stormwater drainage system (which includes drains, ditches, channels, creeks, streams and rivers), that property owner can apply for a technical exemption from stormwater charges. Supporting information to demonstrate the property is technically exempt will be required. To get a technical exemption, the owner of an eligible property must complete an application form and submit supporting documents as follows:

For multi-family residential and non-residential properties, a stormwater management report prepared by a qualified Professional Engineer that details how stormwater runoff from the site, or any portion of it for which an exemption is being sought, is managed without using any part of the City’s stormwater drainage system (as defined in the Brampton Stormwater Charge By-law BL 82/2020).
For properties classified as residential single-family, a drainage summary prepared by a qualified Professional Engineer that provides verification that stormwater runoff from the property, or any portion of it for which an exemption is sought, does not use the City’s stormwater drainage system (as defined in the Brampton Stormwater Charge By-law BL 82/2020).
Drainage plans, and engineering drawings of stormwater management works, practices or measures that are relevant to supporting the request for a technical exemption.
Click here to submit an application

Stormwater Credits

Owners of multi-family/non-residential properties that are eligible for a reduction in stormwater charges up to a maximum of 50 per cent need to have:

Implemented stormwater management measures on their properties, and
demonstrate clearly that the City doesn’t have to bear the entire cost that is required to manage that stormwater

Full details, including how to apply, are available in the Stormwater Credit Program guidance document, available here.

Click here to submit an application

Subsidies

As authorized by Council, property owners of certain classes of property are eligible to apply for a subsidy. These include:

Places of Worship
Veterans’ Organization Properties

To apply for a subsidy, the owner of an eligible property must complete an application form and provide an attestation on their organization’s letterhead that the property is being used primarily as a place of worship or by a Veteran’s Organization.

Click here to submit an application

Resolving Errors in Stormwater Charges

If a property owner believes there is an error in their stormwater charge, they can make a request in writing to appeal their current assessment. An appeal may be filed for the following reasons:

Not subject to stormwater charges

Legally exempt – not subject to municipal fees and charges by law
Technically exempt – property in whole or part drains outside the municipal boundary, or does not use any part of the City’s stormwater drainage system (this includes rivers, creeks, streams, and overland flow routes).

Incorrect Stormwater Charge

The stormwater charge assessment is inaccurate due to:

incorrect property classification
incorrect residential tier assignment
incorrect impervious area measurement

Incorrect Stormwater Reductions

The property is eligible for a subsidy or the amount of subsidy is incorrect
The property is eligible for stormwater credits, or the amount of stormwater credits is incorrect

The process of filing an appeal does not pause the requirement to pay any invoiced stormwater charges, and the applicant will continue to pay stormwater charges during review of the appeal.

There is no charge for an appeal, and the person filing an appeal will be contacted within fifteen (15) business days from when the City receives the appeal and may be asked to provide further information where required to enable the review of the appeal to be completed, or may be directed to complete a stormwater charge reduction application.

Appeals must be addressed to:

Environment & Development Engineering
City Hall, 3rd Floor
City of Brampton
2 Wellington Street West
Brampton, ON L6Y 4R2
Attention: Stormwater Charge Manager

The Stormwater Charge Manager will review each appeal and provide a decision to the person making the appeal within 60 days of receipt of a complete application. An application is deemed complete when all required or requested supporting documents or information have been received.

For appeals related to whether a property is exempt from stormwater charges through legal or technical exemptions, the Stormwater Charge Manager will review and decide on such appeals. If the appellant is unsatisfied with this decision, they may appeal this decision to the Commissioner of Public Works and Engineering.

Further details on the appeals process can be found in the Brampton Stormwater Charge By-law Sections 29-34 and Schedule C, available here.

The process of filing an appeal does not pause the requirement to pay any invoiced stormwater charges, and the applicant will continue to pay stormwater charges during review of the appeal.

Appeals must be addressed to:

Environment & Development Engineering
City Hall, 3rd Floor
City of Brampton
2 Wellington Street West
Brampton, ON L6Y 4R2
Attention: Stormwater Charge Manager

Further details on the appeals process can be found in the Brampton Stormwater Charge By-law Sections 29-34 and Schedule C, available here. A letter template is available for download here to assist in preparing your appeal.

Stormwater Funding Study

In June 2019, City Council approved a new stormwater charge to provide dedicated, sustainable funding for the City’s stormwater infrastructure.

The recommendation to implement this charge came out of a two-year study on sustainable funding options for this vital service. To view the reports, see below:

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Paying for Stormwater Management

​Stormwater Charges

Exemptions, Credits and Subsidies

Resolving Errors in Stormwater Charges

Paying for Stormwater Management

Stormwater Charges