If you’re a property owner in Mississauga, a stormwater charge appears on your Region of Peel water bill. The charge is a dedicated source of funding to keep the City’s stormwater system in good working order and to set aside sufficient funds to finance necessary upgrades and repairs in the future.
The money collected from this charge contributes to the City’s stormwater budget. It’s used exclusively to deliver stormwater services and programs and to meet the increasing demand and investment for stormwater management, including planning and operations, new capital construction and improvements.
Stormwater is the rain and melted snow that flows off of your property into the City’s roads, ditches, sewers and creeks. Learn more about stormwater and what it means for your property by watching this short video or reviewing the stormwater charge fact sheet.
Your annual stormwater charge is divided into a daily rate. Each bill will show the stormwater charge for the number of days that have passed since your last bill, so it may vary from bill to bill.
Charges are calculated based on the amount of hard surface on your property. A stormwater assessment is updated based on the most recent aerial imagery available to the City.
A billing unit represents the average hard surface area on a single detached residential property (267 square metres). To calculate your total stormwater charge, the number of billing units on your property is multiplied by the annual rate per unit.
The annual rate is reviewed and approved by Council every year as part of the City’s annual User Fees and Charges By-law process.
Residential homes include single detached, semi-detached, freehold townhomes and row houses.
Each property falls into one of five tiers based on the rooftop area, which is used as a predictor of the total hard surface area on the residential property.
| Size tier | Property type | Rooftop area in square meters | 2022 Estimated fees per year | 2023 Estimated fees per year | 2023 Increase |
| Smallest | Freehold townhomes and row houses | 26.7 to 99 | $56.70 | $58.40 | $1.70 |
| Small | Semi-detached homes, linked homes, small single detached homes | 99.1 to 151 | $79.38 | $81.76 | $2.38 |
| Medium | Medium single detached homes | 151.1 to 194 | $113.40 | $116.80 | $3.40 |
| Large | Large single detached homes | 194.1 to 242 | $136.08 | $140.16 | $4.08 |
| Largest | Very large single detached homes | 242.1 and above | $192.78 | $198.56 | $5.78 |
The City completed an extensive study measuring all the hard surfaces on a sample of residential properties: rooftops, driveways, patios, and any other hard surfaces.
The study found that rooftop area is a reliable predictor of the total hard surface area on a residential property.
For residential buildings with multiple units, such as apartment buildings or condominiums, or commercial or industrial buildings, the stormwater charge is calculated based on the hard surface area of the entire area.
The total hard surface is divided by a single billing unit (267 square metres) and then multiplied by the current stormwater charge rate.
Buildings owned and operated by a condominium corporation will receive one assessment. The condominium board or the property manager will determine how the charge is divided among all of the individual unit owners. The board or the property owner will be responsible for the administration and collection of payments.
In some cases, the City offers support to property owners to help cover or reduce their storm water charge.
Low-income seniors and persons with disabilities may be eligible for a subsidy to help pay their stormwater charge. If you qualify for tax assistance for residents, you’ll automatically qualify for a stormwater charge subsidy. A separate application is not necessary.
Businesses (non-residential) and multi-residential properties that have implemented stormwater management best practices to reduce their runoff can apply to the stormwater charge credit program.
You can use the stormwater charge estimator to see what the daily and annual charge may be for your property. The estimator also shows an aerial image of the area used to estimate your charge.
If you feel that the stormwater charge assessment on your property is incorrect, you can request a review of your stormwater assessment.
For more information, please email stormwater@mississauga.ca or call 311 (905-615-4311 outside City limits).