City Utilities provide water, sewer and solid waste services. To provide those services, and invest in future upgrades, the City of Prince Rupert levies annual utility fees from residential, commercial, and industrial property owners.
Utility bills are due by December 31st, and will begin accruing interest effective January 1st and transferred to property taxes if unpaid. Utility bills receive a 10% discount if paid by the end of March each year. Please see your bill for the exact date and time the offer is valid.
Payment Methods
Payment options include the following:
- In person at City Hall: Pay with our customer service team.
- We do not accept credit cards or E-transfers for Utility payments.
- Online banking payment: Paying online is similar to how you make payments to other vendors using your online banking system. First log in to online banking, then navigate to the add a payee section, search for “Prince Rupert” and select the appropriate payee (City of Prince Rupert Utilities). You will need the 13-digit account number from your bill - no spaces.
- Contact your financial institution if you require further instructions on adding a payee and/or making an online bill payment. Payments made through your Financial Institution 3 business days beforehand will almost certainly be received on time. To receive the 10% discount, payments made on or after March 31st may not be received on time. Please pay before this date.
- Pay by cheque or money order: Place your cheque or money order in the mailslot near the Customer Service door at City Hall (up the ramp on the east-hand side of City Hall at 424 3rd Avenue West - look for signage identifying the mail slot). This form of payment must be delivered to City Hall on or before the due date.
- Coordinating Payment by Calling your Bank: You may also call in to your financial institution to request they pay the bill for you over the phone from your account. Like online banking, to receive the 10% discount, this should be done before March 29th to ensure that it is received by the March 31st deadline.
- Pre-Payment Plan: If you're looking for information on how to enroll in the Pre-Payment Plan for 2026 Utility Billing. Here's a summary of what you need to do:
- Eligibility: You must have a $0.00 balance to start.
- Pre-Payment Start Date: Monthly pre-authorized payments will begin in April 2025, for utility billing in 2026. Later start dates will result in higher monthly amounts or a balance due for 2026.
- Required Documentation: To enroll, you'll need to provide a void cheque. You can either download one from your online banking or request one from your financial institution.
- Enrollment Location: You need to complete the enrollment process at City Hall.
- Payment Adjustments: You are responsible for increasing the payment amount if necessary. The payment amount cannot be adjusted without your consent.
- When you're ready to enroll, make sure you gather your void cheque and visit City Hall to complete the process.
Asset Management
As of 2017, the City of Prince Rupert directs a portion of utility fees collected towards the eventual renewal of City utility assets. This fee will be transferred to a respective Asset Management Reserve created by our Asset Management Reserve Bylaws. This step lessens the burden of asset and infrastructure renewal on future generations, and represents the City’s commitment to sound financial planning.
Not only that, but asset management is now often considered a pre-requisite when applying for grants with other levels of Government. Senior government grant applications are requiring an Asset Management strategy which includes inventory and condition assessments of infrastructure, and long-term financial planning and lifecycle analysis for operation, maintenance and asset renewal.
The City is in receipt of a grant that will assist in setting Asset Management policy, support long-term financial planning and create a detailed inventory of its assets for the purposes of keeping track of their maintenance and replacement. This system can be utilized to help Council continue managing the existing infrastructure and aid in determining the prioritization of infrastructure renewal that the associated reserves are created to fund.