City of Surrey Plumbing Rules: A Homeowner's Guide to Water Meters, Permits, Suites and Sewer Lines

If your house was built in 1998 or later, it almost certainly has a water meter, because the City's universal metering program has required meters on all new homes since 1998. Older houses could switch voluntarily, so many established streets still mix metered and flat-rate homes.

The quick way to tell: the City says that if you get multiple utility bills per year, your home already has a meter. Metered homes are billed every four months; flat-rate homes pay a set annual amount.

For owners of older single-family homes and duplexes, the City is running a Water Meter Rebate Pilot Program. As published on surrey.ca, the first 1,000 eligible homes that switch by the end of 2026 get a free meter and setup (valued at $450) plus a $400 rebate toward the meter box, credited to the utility account. Check the current program page before applying, since pilot spots and terms can change.

Turn off every tap, appliance and irrigation zone in the house, then look at the meter and write down the reading. Wait 30 to 60 minutes without using any water and check again. If the numbers moved, water is going somewhere.

Start with the toilets. The City's leak guide notes a toilet that keeps running can waste 20 to 40 litres per hour. Its test: put food colouring in the tank, wait 15 minutes, and if colour shows up in the bowl, it is leaking.

If the toilets pass, the leak may be in a supply line, a hose bib, an irrigation line (look for wet lawn patches that never dry), the hot water tank, or a pipe under the slab or inside a wall. The City is clear that it does not detect or fix leaks on private property, so that part is on the owner. Professional leak detection and repair finds the source without opening walls at random.

Surrey has a leak adjustment process for metered bills, but you must repair the leak, show normal use afterward, submit a form with receipts, and pay at least half the bill by the due date.

Most new plumbing work in Surrey needs a permit under the City's Plumbing Bylaw. Think adding a bathroom, moving drains or running new water lines.

The City lists some work that does not need a permit: repairing a leak in a pipe, replacing a plumbing fixture with one that meets the bylaw, and clearing a stoppage in a sewer or water pipe through a cleanout without cutting the pipe.

According to the City, issued plumbing permits are owned by the registered, trade-qualified plumbing contractor. Inspections are booked through the City's permitting portal, and a failed plumbing inspection in Surrey can mean a re-inspection fee. Not sure about your project? Ask the City's Building Division first.

Secondary suites are common in Surrey. To build or legalize a suite, the City says the home must meet zoning conditions, have the necessary building permits, meet the BC Building Code, and pay secondary suite utility and service fees.

A suite kitchen, bathroom or laundry is new plumbing, so expect permits and inspections. Plan early: give the suite its own shut-off valves so a repair downstairs does not cut water to the whole house, and ask whether one hot water tank can keep up with two households.

If the tank runs out daily, upsizing or adding a second unit is often the fix. See hot water tank replacement cost covers typical price ranges and options.

In Surrey, the property owner is generally responsible for the sanitary sewer connection on their own property, and the City is responsible for the part on City property. Where there is an inspection chamber, the blockage location decides who pays.

If City crews can reach the inspection chamber and the blockage is on the City side, the City says it will clear it at no cost to the owner. Never bury the chamber lid. If the chamber is missing or inaccessible, as on some older properties, the owner must prove the problem is on the City side with a camera inspection shown to a City representative.

For a sewer backup, the City's sewer line is 604-591-4152 (weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), and 911 for injury or immediate danger. Blockages on your side of the line usually need drain cleaning, and if water is coming up through a basement floor drain, read our guide on a basement floor drain backing up.

Backflow is dirty water pulled back into the drinking water system. The City requires backflow preventers on new and redeveloped properties, and owners are responsible for having testable devices inspected by a certified tester every year.

For irrigation systems, the City's cross connection standards set the annual test window for existing testable devices between March 1 and June 30, before sprinkler season. The City's own example of a cross connection is ordinary: a garden hose left in a bucket of soapy water.

Surrey winters are mostly mild and wet, but cold snaps arrive, and exposed pipes freeze first: hose bibs, crawlspace lines, unheated garages and outside walls.

Before the first frost, disconnect hoses, shut off and drain any outdoor taps that have an inside shut-off, blow out irrigation lines, and insulate pipes in crawlspaces and garages. Make sure suite tenants know where the main shut-off is. If a pipe does freeze or split, our frozen and burst pipes guide walks through the first steps.

If you need plumbing help in Surrey, Encano Plumbing and Drain is a family-owned company based in Richmond. Call or text (604) 764-2031 any hour for one flat price in writing before work starts. The team speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish.