Stormwater Fees

Stormwater is an inevitable circumstance caused by rain and snowmelt.

When it rains, or when the snow melts water can’t soak into hard surfaces like asphalt. This water runs off into our Municipal Water Systems, including sewers, ditches, pipes, oil grit separators, infiltration galleries & ponds.

Learn more about Stormwater here.

The Stormwater Management Program involves the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of both natural and human-made infrastructure. This program protects both private property and infrastructure against flooding, erosion & poor water quality.

In Rural areas, Stormwater Management includes the cleaning and maintenance of ditches and culverts. While some Stormwater runoff is mitigated by large green spaces, it’s still inevitable.

Learn more about the Stormwater Management Program here.

Residents of the City of Hamilton have always contributed to the funding of our Stormwater Management Program.

Prior to April 2026, residents will have made their contribution to Stormwater Management Funding via their Water and Wastewater Fees. This system is not fair or equitable, as it bases the fee structure on clean water consumption - not Stormwater run off.

After April 2026, residents will notice an up to 20% reduction in their existing Water and Wastewater fees. A line will be added for Stormwater fees.

After April 2026, residents will note a reduction in their Water and Wastewater fees on their Property Tax Bills. They will also notice the addition of a line entitled ‘Stormwater’.

This fee will be calculated differently for residential and commercial properties.

Learn more about the upcoming Stormwater Management Fee here.

The new Stormwater Fee Structure is calculated based on ‘units’ and ‘rate’.

The rate is adjusted annually, and for 2026 it has been set at $200.75/unit.

A number of units is assigned based on the type of property.

You can download the Stormwater Fee Guidance Manual here.

Detached homes with or without additional dwelling unit - 1

Semi-detached homes, townhomes, duplexes - 0.5

Triplex to six-plex - 0.3

Industrial, Commercial, Institutional & Agricultural properties - 1 billing unit for ever 291m².

You can download the Stormwater Fee Guidance Manual here.

While permeable surfaces (like farm fields and orchards) do help to mitigate Stormwater runoff, they don’t eliminate it completely.

In rural areas, infrastructure like ditches and culverts must be built, cleaned and maintained to ensure proper drainage.

Rural properties have previously been charged for Wastewater under the Municipal Levy line.

After April 2026, Rural properties will receive a Stormwater Bill which reflects their unique property and drainage.

Yes - rebates will automatically be applied for properties which have enough permeable surface (grass etc.) to help mitigate Stormwater runoff.

The details of these rebates are not yet available. We will continue to update this page following the General Issues Commitee Meeting on June 5th.

You can also apply for credits through third parties, like Green Venture.

Learn more about the Rain Ready Rebate here.

The City has provided an Estimator Tool. You can enter your address and find out roughly what the annual fee will be after April 2026, and if you will qualify for the Green Space credit.

You can find the Estimator Tool here.

Jeff did not vote in support of the Stormwater Management Fee.  He believes that large producers of stormwater (large scale parking lots in particular) should better share in funding our important Stormwater Sewer System, but these programs should not be in an economically damaging way to local businesses and institutions. 

Further, Jeff believes that residents who are not connected to a built Stormwater Sewer System should not have pay for services they are not receiving.

If you have questions about Stormwater Management, I encourage you to reach out to my and my Ward 10 team via phone or e-mail.