City utility billing
AVOID LATE PAYMENTS DURING THE CANADA POST DISRUPTION
See and pay utility bills online with your Property Account. Register for a free Property Account or switch to eBilling today. Visit billing.kelowna.ca to get started.
Water and wastewater (sewer) billing
We provide utility services to residents within the City of Kelowna service area. Utility bills are issued bi-monthly on the 6th or 16th, depending on which billing cycle covers a particular location. Residential customers who are billed for sewer service only will find these charges on their annual Property Tax Notice.
Go paperless: receive your bills electronically and manage your account and profile online.
View the sections below for information on City Water Utility contacts, managing your account, paying your bill and the procedure for leaks, repairs and maintenance. Visit the Former SEKID customers page for information specific to former South East Kelowna Irrigation District customers.
Contact Utility Billing Customer Care (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757.
Submit an online service request at least 24 hours in advance. Visit the “Water disconnect and connect requests section” on our Drinking water page for more information.
Call 250-469-8600.
Contact watermeters@kelowna.ca or 250-862-0409.
Sign up for Property Account to access your account, view historical transactions and manage your profile online; it's easy and convenient. If you own multiple properties, you can add all the accounts to your profile to view them in one online location. You can sign up for eBilling to go paperless and receive your bills electronically.
You will need your account number and access code to register. This information is displayed at the top of your City of Kelowna Utility Bill.
Any ownership changes on your account will generate a new access code; please contact Utility Billing Customer Care at utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757 (option 2).
A late payment charge of 1.5 per cent will be assessed each month (compounded monthly, 19.56 per cent per annum) on all outstanding balances not paid by the due date printed on the utility bill. All payments or credits will be applied to the oldest outstanding charge(s) first.
Any amounts due that remain unpaid after Dec. 31 of the year are deemed to be taxes in arrears and added to the property taxes on that property. For further information regarding this process, visit our Transfer to taxes FAQ page.
Utility Billing accounts are attached to a property in the owner’s name.
Information for landlords:
As the landlord, you will need to decide how to bill utilities to your tenant (e.g. part of monthly rent, as an addition to rent, or if you provide them with your account number to pay at their financial institution).
Any amounts due that remain unpaid after Dec. 31 of the year are deemed to be taxes in arrears and added to the property taxes on that property. For further information regarding this process, visit our Transfer to taxes FAQ page.
Information for tenants:
If you’re moving out and the account is in your name as the tenant, your account will need to be closed. Contact Utility Billing Customer Care (utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757 (option 2)) a minimum of two days prior to your move-out date. We will schedule a final meter read and issue you a final bill. Be sure to pay your account to bring it up to date.
If you signed up for the Pre-Authorized Withdrawal System, you will need to contact Utility Billing Customer Care at least 20 days before your move-out date to cancel enrolment. You’ll also want to update your financial institution to remove the account from your payees list.
We no longer collect security deposits for utility accounts. Existing security deposits will be held until the account is closed, at which point it will be applied against the final bill, with the balance returned to the payee.
Utility billing accounts are tied to a property, not a person, and don’t close when a customer moves to a different property. BC Assessment will provide the City with new ownership information. We recommend your sign up for Property Account for easy and convenient online registration and access. Sign up for eBilling to receive your bills electronically.
When a property sells, the estimated utility charges and balances will need to be reconciled by lawyers and real estate agents as part of the sale, similar to how tax balances are calculated through a statement of adjustments. The tax certificate can be used for approximating calculations.
If you’ve signed up for the Pre-Authorized Withdrawal System, contact Utility Billing Customer Care (utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757 ) at least 20 days in advance to cancel the enrolment for your account.
Notify BC Assessment directly to change your mailing address. Visit BC Assessment’s Update Your Property Information webpage, call 1-866-825-8322 or mail your notice to:
300-1631 Dickson Ave, Kelowna BC, V1Y 8H2
You will need your folio number, assessment area number and jurisdiction area number in order to make an address change.
- Folio number: This number can be found on your property tax notice, utility bill, or using our Property Tax and Assessment Query online service tool (folio is referred to as roll)
- Assessment area: 19
- Jurisdiction: If your folio number is five digits or less (e.g. roll 8500), your jurisdiction number is 214. If your folio number is greater than five digits (e.g. roll 12051228), your jurisdiction number is 217.
If submitting in writing: include the folio number of the property, previous mailing address, new mailing address, your printed name and signature.
Important: This refers to change in mailing address only. If you no longer own a specific property, the change in ownership will be picked up when BC Assessment is provided information from the Land Titles office.
Note: BC Assessment registers address changes with the City weekly.
Make payments to your customer account number.
For instructions on how to set up the City of Kelowna as an online bill payee, please view the Online Utility Payment Guide.
The Pre-Authorized Withdrawal System (PAWS) is a convenient method to pay your City of Kelowna utility bill.
The total amount will be deducted on the payment due date, unless your Utility Account shows a credit balance.
Sign up for Property Account to set up and manage your PAWS directly or fill out the pre-authorized payment application form, which must be completed, signed and accompanied by a blank cheque marked VOID or by a pre-authorized debit form from your bank. A separate application form is required for each City Utility billing account you wish to set up on PAWS.
If you’re changing bank accounts or need to stop your payments, use or sign up for Property Account to manage your PAWS account changes or contact Utility Billing Customer Care (utilitybilling@kelowna.ca or 250-469-8757) at least 20 days in advance of the payment due date.
Present your bill for payment at most financial institutions in Canada. We’re not responsible for errors made by financial institutions.
Send cheques or money orders to:
City of Kelowna Revenue Branch, 1435 Water Street Kelowna BC V1Y 1J4
Please allow enough time for mailed remittances to reach the office by the due date. We don’t accept postmarks as proof of payment date. Please utilize alternative payment methods in the event of a postal disruption.
Methods of payment accepted are:
- Cash
- Debit card
- Money order
- Cheque payable to City of Kelowna.
Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays).
Use the drop box at the City Hall Water Street entrance to submit your payment. Please don’t put cash in the drop box.
Credit cards aren’t accepted at City Hall for utility bills, however you may be able to use a third-party payment service provider (“provider”) to pay with a credit card for a fee.
This information is provided solely for convenience and the City doesn’t endorse this product, service or publication:
Examples of providers currently offering this service are Plastiq and PaySimply
Payment delivery times will vary from the provider (three to six days) so pay early enough for the City to receive your payment on time to avoid penalties and/or interest
Review the provider’s website to clearly understand the terms and conditions of the service you are using, including any fees charged by the provider
- Water - Residential and commercial customers within the City’s water supply boundaries are billed for water supply based on consumption in cubic meters.
- Residential sewer - Residential customers who receive sewer services as well as water services from the City are billed for sewer as a flat rate charge on their bi-monthly utility bill. Residential customers who receive sewer-only services from the City (with water services provided by other utility providers) are billed annually on their property tax bill.
- Commercial sewer - Commercial customers within the City’s sewer service boundaries are based on water consumption in cubic metres. Commercial customers who use water that won’t end up in the City’s sewer system (such as for landscape irrigation purposes) are encouraged to investigate the feasibility of purchasing and installing an irrigation credit meter, which would measure the water that had already passed through the “main” meter and is flowing to the non-sewered activities. Credit meters must be purchased through the City if they’re to be read by meter readers for billing purposes.
Irrigation services for customers with farm status (Class 9 assigned by BC Assessment) are billed annually on the last bi-monthly bill of the calendar year. For all other customers, irrigation services are billed bi-monthly. Payment is due on the date indicated on the bill.
Customers are responsible for sewer repairs and maintenance on their own property, as well as ensuring that the sewer remains clear of blockages from the building to the main in the street. Customers should call a plumber to unplug or clear blockages. If the sewer service requires repair on City property (in the street), call the after-hours/emergency line at 250-469-8600 to report the service break.
Investigating a potential leak
If you have an unusually high water bill or notice that there’s pooling water in your house or yard, you may have a leak. Here’s a list of items to check around your property to investigate prior to contacting the City:
Have you noticed any toilets routinely running or filling without flushing?
The rubber dam at the bottom of the toilet tank could be deteriorating, causing a small leak.
The flush handle could be loose or stay stuck, causing the water to continue to flow unless the handle is jiggled.
Has there been any power interruptions to your irrigation controller that may have caused it to change its watering schedule?
Verify the programmed watering schedule to ensure that it aligns with your allowable watering days, that your watering time is appropriate for your hydrozone/plant material and is between the hours of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Are there some unusually wet spots in your yard that don’t seem to dry out?
Check to see if there’s normal water pressure coming out of hoses or irrigation lines. A drop-in flow could indicate a broken pipe somewhere.
If you have access to view your meter: turn off anything that may be using water (taps, washing machine, dishwasher, irrigation system) and check your water meter for several minutes. If you’re still observing increasing water usage numbers, then there’s likely a leak.
What if I think my water meter is at fault?
We can verify that your meter is reading correctly, but we ask that the steps above be checked first prior to contacting the City. Life expectancy for a water meter is typically 20-30 years, and meters are replaced according to a strict maintenance and replacement schedule. Meters will wear over time and tend to slow down, therefore producing lower water usage readings. Meters only produce higher readings if there’s an increase in the rate of water flowing through.
Consumption review requests after leak detected
Please be aware that you’re responsible for all water consumed on your property, but in the event of a confirmed leak, the City accepts requests to have the consumption reviewed for possible adjustment to a lower tier rate for that billing cycle.
Before contacting the City to request a review, there are a number of items to be aware of:
- The source of the water leak needs to have been identified, isolated and repaired. It’s recommended that you contact a certified plumber or irrigation contractor and keep your receipts as proof of repair. If you fix the leak yourself, save material receipts as proof along with pictures or documents to support that there was a leak and it was repaired. In all cases, the City will request that you submit these along with the adjustment request.
- You’ll need to contact the City Utility Billing office and receive instructions on how to submit your request and documentation so that a Service Request can be started for the review
- The review may take some time, as part of the process involves reviewing the next one or more billing cycles to verify that water usage has returned to normal
We can help reduce your water bill! The City offers free irrigation assessments, which involves an irrigation professional coming to your home and assessing your irrigation system in order to assess the irrigation controller programming and provide water coverage recommendations. This is a great way to not only save some money, but also help in conserving vital water in our arid Okanagan climate.
