Residential Stormwater Credit Application

Use the residential application if you own the following types of property:

• condominiums

• duplex, triplex, four-plex and five-plex homes

• single detached homes

• semi-detached homes

• townhomes

Complete the online application below using:

• a copy of your utility bill
• the measurements of the stormwater practices you’ll use
• water volume calculations to figure out how much of a credit you will earn

Contact details

Approved Best Management Practices (BMP)

Rain barrels

A typical rain barrel holds 200 litres. If you need help calculating the volume for irregularly sized or oversized barrels and for more details, click here. 

Cistern

Minium 200 litres. If you need help calculating the volume of your cistern and for more details, click here. 

Infiltration gallery

The following measurements are not required if the infiltration gallery was installed by the homebuilder. If your infiltration gallery was installed by the homeowner or a contractor, please provide the measurements of infiltration gallery in metres.

If you need help calculating this information and for more details, click here. 

Measurements 

(If installed by contractor or homeowner only)

Rain gardens

Rain gardens differ from conventional gardens in that they primarily serve a drainage purpose. To have a rain garden your downspout must be connected to the rain garden. The garden must also be designed to hold water back from the street using either a dug out lowered area, or a small hill (berm) to block the flow of water leaving the garden.

If you need help calculating depth of bio-retention media or depth of gravel base (if applicable) and for more details, click here. 

Measurements

Permeable pavers

Permeable pavers differ from traditional interlocking brick in that they have larger spacing between the pavers and use a loose stone base containing no sand around and below the pavers. Permeable pavers contain at least 0.3m (1 ft) of stone base/subbase beneath the paver stones to store stormwater.

If you need help calculating depth of gravel base or depth of sub-base (if applicable) and for more details, click here. 

Measurements 

of driveway or patio

Before submitting your application, please ensure you read the terms and conditions. By submitting this form, you acknowledge that the information provided is true and permits the city to perform limited arranged inspections of the property to determine the eligibility of the Best Management Practices.

Terms and restrictions

Residential property owners with single detached homes or multi-residential buildings with up to five units per building may qualify for rate credits when the Applicant can demonstrate that the property owned by the Applicant (the “Property”) contains impervious areas that are directed to approved, or in accordance with, stormwater quantity and/or quality Best Management Practices (“BMP”). The BMP must provide the City with a cost savings that the City otherwise would incur as part of their efforts to manage stormwater.

Restrictions

1. No public or private property shall be eligible to receive credits for any condition or activity unrelated to the reduction of the City’s cost of providing stormwater management services, as determined by the City of Kitchener;
2. Credits will not apply to fees attributable to new development or redevelopment projects;
3. Any stormwater BMP off site or within a permanent easement maintained by the City shall not be eligible for a credit; and,
4. Credits shall only be given to the registered owner of the Property.

Conditions and Requirements

1. The Applicant shall complete a stormwater credit registration form (the “Form”). The Form may be printed or electronic, and may be submitted with supporting documentation (if required) online, by mail or email.
2. A signed Form shall constitute authority for the City to perform limited announced inspections of the Property to determine the eligibility of the on-site stormwater BMPs, and the accuracy of the credit calculation. The inspection shall be limited to stormwater BMPs and other elements described in the registration. The City shall schedule the inspections at a date and time that is mutually acceptable to both parties. The City will offer the Applicant at least one (1) opportunity to reschedule to a mutually agreeable date and time;
3. Credits will only be applied if requirements in this schedule are met, including but not limited to: completion of ongoing maintenance and guaranteed right-of-entry for inspections, on an annual basis, as at the discretion of the City of Kitchener;
4. Unless otherwise obligated by law, the City shall limit the use of the Form or other registration documents to activities required to administer stormwater credits;
5. Credits will be assigned up to a maximum of 45% of the assessed stormwater rate;
6. Credits will be defined as percent (%) reductions to the City’s stormwater portion of the utility bill;
7. Any BMP must comply with all applicable municipal, provincial and federal standards and guidelines;
8. As long as the BMP is functioning as approved and as demonstrated by City inspections, the credit will be applied to the stormwater portion of the utility bill. If the approved BMP is not functioning as approved or is terminated for any reason whatsoever, the reduction will be cancelled and the rate will be returned to the baseline calculation. In the circumstance that a BMP is no longer functioning as approved, the Applicant shall reimburse the City the entire amount of the credit received in respect of the Property since the last inspection by the City. Once the credit reduction has been cancelled, a customer may not reapply for a credit for a period of 12 months and only upon the deficiency being rectified as determined by the City inspection;
9. Only stormwater management practices that serve the property described on the form shall be credited toward that property’s bill. The Applicant cannot transfer credit eligibility from the property to another property owned by the applicant. Similarly, the credit eligibility of a property does not transfer from the applicant to a new owner of the property, without a separate form completed on behalf of the new owner of the property;
10. All stormwater quantity control BMPs must be a municipality accepted practice. Accepted stormwater storage practices include:

• Infiltration galleries
• Storage devices (e.g. cisterns, rain barrels)
• Landscaping techniques (e.g. rain gardens, permeable pavers, depressed areas to collect rainwater)
• Combination of the first three techniques

Sign up for Reep Green Solutions’ email newsletter

Don’t forget to maintain your rain barrel, rain garden, or other Best Management Practice.
Sign up for Reep Green Solutions’ free quarterly Maintenance Mailer for tips and reminders.

By clicking the "yes" checkbox I expressly agree that my email address will be collected and shared securely with the third party, Reep Green Solutions, for the purposes of sending Maintenance Mailer emails four times a year. These emails will include helpful tips on rain garden care, rain barrel maintenance, and dealing with drought.

Personal information is being collected under the authority of s. 28(2) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and will be used for the Stormwater Credit from the City of Kitchener. This information will be shared with staff who require it for their work as part of Kitchener Utilities and will be stored on a server owned by a Third Party Service Provider (eSolutions Group) located in Canada. The personal information collected herein will be used only for the purposes relating to the program and will be protected in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the MFIPPA. 

Inquiries about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information should be directed to Sanitary and Stormwater Utilities | City of Kitchener | Office: 519-741-2200 | TTY 1-866-969-9994 | Email