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1. What does the utility bill cover?

Fees collected from the utility bill fund household costs for clean drinking water, sewer systems, and garbage and green waste collection. The 2025 utility bill covers service from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

2. Has my utility bill gone up because my property assessment value went up?

No, utility fees are different from property taxes and are not tied to your property assessment. Fees collected from the utility bill fund household costs for clean drinking water, sewer systems, and garbage and green waste collection. 

3. Why did my bill increase?

A large portion of the utility funds collected by the City are paid to Metro Vancouver Regional District, whose primary role is to ensure the necessary coordination of water treatment and distribution, liquid waste treatment and disposal, and solid waste disposal for all municipalities in the region. The City gets billed our share of these costs every year and these costs are collected from your utility fees. 

Metro Vancouver is building the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant with a total project cost of $3.86 billion. As a result, the fees to all regional municipalities have increased this year to support this project. 

To reduce the financial impact on residents, Coquitlam is using contingency funding to lower the sewer increase from 20% to 16%. Of this 16% increase, 10% is directly funding the Metro Vancouver Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

4. I think there is an error on my bill. What should I do?

Please email utility_info@coquitlam.ca or call 604-927-3050 if you think there is an error on your bill.

5. Can I pay my utility bill with credit card over the phone?

You can pay by credit card online anytime or in-person at City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. We do not accept payment over the phone. 

See a full list of payment options. 

6. I accidently paid my utility bill twice. Can you refund it back to my credit card?

You can request a refund by filling out a Refund Request Form. 

Refunds can only be issued via cheque payment and will be processed after the utility payment due date. Please expect four to six weeks for a refund cheque to be issued, or you can request the credit to stay on your account for future bills. Cheques will be mailed and are not available for pick-up.

A refund fee of $25.00 will be deducted from the refund amount. 

7. Where can I find a copy of last year’s utility bill or receipt of payment?

Sign up or login to your MyCoquitlam account to see all of your past billing and transaction information.   

8. I haven’t yet paid last year’s utility bill. Can I pay it now?

As of January 1, the previous year’s utility bill is transferred to your property tax account as taxes in arrears and starts to accrue interest.

You can pay with credit or debit card, cash, cheque or through online banking to your property tax account. There is a 2% fee if paying by credit card. 

9. I am on the Utility Instalment Plan and am planning to sell my property. Can you refund the credit on my account?

Credits on your account will not be refunded by the City. Instead, fees are adjusted by a lawyer as part of the statement of adjustments when you sell your property to ensure each owner is responsible for their share. 

Please remember to cancel your Utility Instalment Plan before selling your property. 

10. I sold this property. Why am I getting a bill?

It can take up to six weeks for the City to be informed of an ownership change. If you no longer own the property, please return the bill by mail to Revenue Services or forward it to the new owner.

Check your statement of adjustment to confirm that you are not responsible for payment of the utility bill. 

Mail to:
City of Coquitlam 
Revenue Services
3000 Guildford Way
Coquitlam, B.C.
V3B 7N2

11. I accidently paid my utility bill to my old property’s account. Can you transfer it to my current property?

Yes we can. Please email PropertyTax@coquitlam.ca with the following information:

• Your legal name
• Your address
• Amount paid
• Incorrect utility account number (where you paid by accident)
• Correct utility account number (where the money should be transferred to)
• Proof of payment such as credit card statement or bank statement indicating the payment to incorrect account

12. I need a smaller or larger Garbage Cart. How can I request one?

Carts can be exchanged for different sizes at any time throughout the year. Exchange fees may apply. Learn more about cart repairs and exchanges and submit a Cart Exchange Form to request a change.  

13. Can I downsize my Garbage Cart now and get a rebate or pay lower utility fees this year?

No. Downsizing a Garbage Cart now will result in a lower fee for next year but not this year. Rebates are not issued for downsizing a Garbage Cart. 

Changing the size of your Green Cart will not impact your utility fees. Learn more about exchanging your cart.

14. Why was I charged for a secondary suite if my secondary suite is not rented out and not using additional utilities?

Utility fees are charged based on the existence of a secondary suite, not occupancy.

Learn more about secondary suites and how they impact your utility bill. 

15. I don’t have a secondary suite in my home. Why was I charged a secondary suite fee?

Utility bills are based on the status of the property as of December 31 of the previous year. 

To have your utility bill adjusted for next year, you must apply for suite removal by December 1, 2025. Learn more about how to apply for suite removal. 

16. What are the 2025 metered utility billing periods?

• Period 1: October 1, 2024 to January 31, 2025 (2024 Rates)
• Period 2: February 1, 2025 to May 31, 2025 (2025 Rates)
• Period 3: June 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025 (2025 Summer Rates)
• Period 4: October 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026 (2025 Rates)

17. Consumption on my metered utility bill seems to be incorrect. Who can I contact?

If you have questions about the consumption on your bill, please email EPW@coquitlam.ca or call 604-927-3500. 

18. How can I request to have a special meter read and/or an amount outstanding as of a specific date?

To request a special meter read or estimated amounts for a specific date, please email EPW@coquitlam.ca.

19. I would like my metered utility bill sent to my tenant or I want to change the tenant name. How can I do that?

Written request from the registered owner is required to make any changes. To request a change, please have the registered owner of the property email the request to add/remove tenant name.

Strata management companies can request to be added for a copy of the billing by emailing the signed strata management contract to utility_info@coquitlam.ca. Two copies of the bill will be sent—one to the property owner and one to the tenant. A copy of the bill is sent to the property owner for their record keeping or in case the tenant does not pay.

20. I own lot number one (or unit one) of this commercial building. Why am I getting the metered utility bill? Does the bill cover my unit only or the whole building?

If there are multiple commercial units served by the same meter(s) on a building, a copy of the metered utility bill is sent to the owner of lot number one. It is the responsibility of all owners and/or strata management to divide the metered utilities among all the units served by those meters. 

21. My company owns this building and has multiple tenants. Can I request to have separate meters installed for each one and have the City bill the tenants directly?

City policy provides a single billing meter to each parcel, generally installed at or near the property line. Therefore, the City issues a single bill to the entire parcel.  A property owner can install private meters within their building(s) to help divide the City bill among individual tenants. Email EPW@coquitlam.ca if you have any additional questions.