Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 (consolidated to Apr 22, 2026) — full text, Comox, British Columbia

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CONSOLIDATED COMOX WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Please note: This is a consolidated bylaw prepared for convenience only and is not a certified copy. A BYLAW TO REGULATE THE RATES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE SUPPLY OF WATER Consolidated to include the following bylaws: Bylaw No. Adopted Name Purpose 544 20-Jun-1979 Comox Water Connection Fee Amendment Bylaw, 1979 To amend By-Law No. 529 of the Town of Comox 600 19-Nov-1980 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw, 1980 To amend the rates charged for the supply and use of water 659 03-Feb-1982 Comox Water Rates & Regulations Amendment Bylaw, 1981 To amend the rates charged for the supply and use of water 667 17-Feb-1982 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 1, 1982 To regulate the turning off and on of water valves 770 19-Dec-1984 Comox Water Rates & Regulation Amendment Bylaw, 1984 To amend the rates charged for the supply and use of water 797 02-Jan-1986 Comox Water Rates & Regulations Amendment Bylaw, 1985 To amend the rates charged for the supply and use of water 891 28-Sep-1988 Comox Water Rates & Regulations Bylaw Amendment, 1988 Replace Section 4 - water meters, Replace Schedule A. 937 01-Nov-1989 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw, 1989 To amend sanitary water connection fees - Replace Schedule A 1171 07-Jun-1995 Comox Water Rates & Regulations Amendment No. 9, Bylaw, 1995 To amend sanitary water connection fees - Replace Part 1 Schedule A 1288 08-May-1998 Comox Water User Rates Bylaw, 1988 (May 8/98) To amend the rates charged for the supply and use of water. - Replace Schedule A 1404 02-Jul-2003 Comox Water Rates & Regulations Amendment Bylaw, 2003 To amend the rates charged for the supply and use of water - Replace Schedule A. CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 2 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 2 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 Bylaw No. Adopted Name Purpose 1423 03-Mar-2004 Comox Water Rates Amendment Bylaw, 2004 To increase the rates charged for supply and use of water - Replace Schedule A. 1454 01-Dec-2004 Comox Water Rates Amendment Bylaw, 2005 To increase the rates charged for the supply and use of water - Replace Schedule A. 1494 07-Dec-2005 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 13, 2005 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - Replace Schedule A. 1522 05-Jul-2006 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw 1979 Amendment No. 14, 2006 To amend Town of Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw 1979 - Add regulations re connection to water system, amend right to place responsibility, remove 7(a) water conservation provision. 1545 06-Dec-2006 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 14, 2006 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - Replace Schedule A 1587 05-Dec-2007 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 15, 2007 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - Replace Schedule A 1596 07-May-2008 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 16, 2008 To amend the Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529, 1979 - Replace Schedule A 1609 22-Dec-2008 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 17, 2008 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - Replace Schedule A 1644 NOT ADOPTED Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 18, 2009 To increase the rates charged for water use. 1662 18-Aug-2010 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw 1979 Amendment No. 19, 2010 To delete requirement to provide security for the installation of a water distribution system - section 3(i). 1715 21-Mar-2012 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 18, 2012 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - Replace Schedule A. Also allow residential customers to pay based on usage - sections 3(g) and 4(h). CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 3 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 3 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 Bylaw No. Adopted Name Purpose 1738 05-Dec-2012 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 19, 2012 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - replace Schedule A. 1759 04-Dec-2013 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 20, 2013 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - replace Schedule A. 1797 04-Feb-2015 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 21, 2015 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - replace Schedule A. 1821 18-Nov-2015 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 22, 2015 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - replace Schedule A. 1849 07-Dec-2016 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 23, 2016 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - replace Schedule A. 1876 07-Feb-2018 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 24, 2018 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use - replace Schedule A. 1904 05-Dec-2018 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw Amendment No. 25, 2018 To increase the flat rate for residential customers with and without a water meter, as well as unmetered non-residential customers - update Schedule A. 1940 01-Apr-2020 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 1940, 2020. To increase the rates charged for water supply and use. 1973 05-May-2021 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 1973, 2021 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use. 1991 01-Dec-2021 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 1991, 2021 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use. 2011 15-Feb-2023 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 2011, 2023 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use. 529.34 15-Nov-2023 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 529.34 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use. CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 4 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 4 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 Bylaw No. Adopted Name Purpose 529.35 04-Dec-2024 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 529.35 To increase the rates charged for water supply and use. 529.36 18-Mar-2026 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 529.36 Move Schedule A to Schedules I and J of Fees and Charges Bylaw (No. 2058) plus administrative updates. 529.37 22-Apr-2026 Comox Water Rates and Regulations Amendment Bylaw No. 529.37 To correct for missed updates in Bylaw 529.36. WHEREAS Section 568 of the "Municipal Act" provides that Council may by by-law regulate the rates, terms and conditions under which water may be supplied and used; NOW THEREFORE the Council of the Town of Comox, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows: 1. Title Title replaced, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 This Bylaw may be cited as the "Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529". 2. Definitions "Town" shall mean the Town of Comox, the Council or persons duly authorized by the Council in respect of this Bylaw. "Water Connection" shall refer to a connection from the water main to a pipe which extends to the property line of the customer for the purpose of conveying water to the said customer and may or may not include a water meter, but shall include a shut off valve. The said water connection shall be the property of the Town. "Disconnection" shall refer to the turning off or complete removal of the water connection. "Owner" shall bear the meaning assigned to the same by the "Municipal Act" as presently enacted or from time to time amended. Definition added, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 "Public Works Supervisor" means the Public Works Supervisor of the Town and their duly authorized representatives. CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 5 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 5 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 3. Water Connections Section (a) updated, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 (a) Application for the connection of a water service shall be made at the Town office and shall be accompanied by the proper fee as specified in Schedule I of the Fees and Charges Bylaw. Each application must be signed by the owner or duly authorized agent of the premises to which the connection is to be made and such application shall be an agreement whereby the applicant agrees to abide by the terms and conditions of this Bylaw and any subsequent amendments thereto. (b) Any applicant for a connection of a water service shall satisfy the Public Works Supervisor or the person in charge of the said connections that all water pipes within the premises which are used for purposes of providing water have been disconnected from any wells or other sources of water before the connection is made. (c) Any person or persons who shall install, place or maintain in any premises any water connection fixture or fitting not in accordance with the requirements of this Bylaw shall be guilty of an infraction thereof. (d) No consumer shall make use of any water connection to any Town water main without first making application for such water connection. [Sections (e) to (j) added July 5, 2006] (e) The owner of every parcel of land that is capable of connection to a water main or to which a water connection has been made, and on which is located a building which is required by the British Columbia Building Code to be supplied with potable water, must connect such building to the water system. Section (f) updated, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 (f) Section e) does not apply to any building served by an on-site water supply system that is in existence on a parcel that becomes capable of connection to the water system by reason only of the installation of a water main, unless the water main has been installed as a local area service or the building is being altered to an extent requiring a building permit under the Town's Building Bylaw in which case Section Schedule 1 of the Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 2048 shall apply. (g) In the case of a building previously served by an on-site water supply system using a well, the owner must, within 30 days of a water connection being made, deal with the well in the manner prescribed in the Groundwater Protection Regulation under the Water Act. (h) In the event of any such owner failing to make the required connection within 30 days after being notified in writing by the Public Works Supervisor to do so, the Public Works Supervisor may have the work done at the expense of the owner and s.258 of the CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 6 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 6 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 Community Charter shall apply. [Original Section (i) deleted August 18, 2010] (i) For the purposes of this section, a parcel is capable of connection to a water main if the parcel is within 15 metres of the nearest water main, and the distance of a parcel from the nearest water main shall be determined by projecting the side parcel line nearest the water main and the centre line of the water main such that the projected lines intersect, and measuring the distance from point of intersection to the closest part of the water main. [Section 4 replaced September 28, 1988] 4. Water Meters Section (a) updated, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 (a) The Town may install and compel the use of water meters to any connection from the Town's water main and the rates payable by a consumer are specified in Schedule J of the Fees and Charges Bylaw. (b) Connections from the Town's water main to commercial or industrial premises shall have water meters installed. (c) Existing water meters which become broken or defective will be replaced by the Town and a rental fee will be charged to the consumer. [Section 4(d) replaced, July 5, 2006] (d) The Public Works Supervisor shall have the right to place the responsibility for any damage to, and removal of, a water meter. (e) No water meter shall be removed, disturbed or have its seal broken except in the presence of or under the direction of the Public Works Supervisor. [Section 4(f) amended March 21, 2012] (f) Commercial, industrial and institutional consumers of metered water shall pay for the full amount as registered by the meter, unless the conditions stated in sub-section (d) prevail. [Section 4(g) and 4(h) added March 21, 2012] Sections 4(g) and 4(h) updated, Bylaw 529.37, April 22 2026 (g) Subject to subsection (h), residential consumers of metered water shall pay a monthly flat rate, as set out in Schedule J of the Fees and Charges Bylaw. (h) Residential consumers of metered water, including strata corporations, may apply to pay an amount based on metered readings, as set out in Schedule J of the Fees and Charges Bylaw, by completing the prescribed form of application and submitting the form to the CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 7 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 7 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 Director of Finance for the Town of Comox. (i) Any person who willfully alters or damages a water meter shall be liable to the penalties imposed by this Bylaw. 5. Disconnection and Reconnection of Water Services (a) Any person or persons wishing to discontinue their water service shall give to the Town office notice of such desire. If such notice is not received and premises vacated, the water rates will be charged on a continuous basis. (b) The disconnection charge for water supply will be $10.00 6. Water Billing Section (a) updated, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 (a) Application for Water Service shall be made at the Town office on forms, presented by the Town. The rates enumerated in Schedules I and J of the Fees and Charges Bylaw are hereby imposed and levied for water services supplied or to be supplied by the Town. The billings for such rates, payable quarterly, shall be mailed on or about the twentieth day of January each year. (b) The minimum rates for water service shall be payable in respect to any premises to which water has been supplied for a period of FOURTEEN days or more in any one calendar month, provided however, that where the service has been maintained for a period of less than FOURTEEN days, the rate shall only be Fifty percent of the minimum rate. (c) All rates payable, in any year which remain unpaid on the 31st day of December in that year shall be deemed to be in arrears and the total of such rates shall be added to and be deemed to form part of the taxes due upon the land or upon land and improvements to or upon which water has been supplied or used. Any rates which are so added or charged remaining unpaid on the 31st day of December in the year following that in which such rates became in arrears, shall be deemed to be delinquent on the 31st day of December and for the purpose of enforcing payment, the same shall be deemed to be delinquent taxes. 7. General [Original Section (a) deleted July 5, 2006] (a) Every person to whom water is supplied under this Bylaw shall at all reasonable times allow any authorized person to enter into and upon the premises in respect of which such water is supplied for the purpose of inspecting the water pipes, fixtures, and fittings used in connection with such water supply. (b) Where steam or hot water boilers are fed by direct pressure from the Town water mains, CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 8 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 8 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 the Town will not be responsible or liable for any injury or damage which may accrue from any excess or lack of pressure. (c) All persons shall keep the service pipes, stop cocks, fixtures or fittings on their own premises in order and repair and protect them from frost at their own risk and expense; and when the house is vacated, the stop cock shall be turned off. Section (d) updated, Bylaw 529.36, MAR 18 2026 (d) No person being an owner occupant or tenant of premises supplied with water by the Town shall sell or dispose of any such water or give away or permit the same to be taken away or applied for the benefit or use of others except to those persons not having their own water connections but who have made application for such service and who pay the rate specified for such service in Schedules I and J of the Fees and Charges Bylaw and in respect of which permission to do so has been granted. [Section 7(e) added February 17, 1982] (e) No person or persons, other than authorized Town employees is permitted to turn on or off water valve connected to the Town's water main. [Section 7(f) added February 17, 1982] (j) Any person or persons who violate the provisions of this Bylaw is liable on summary conviction to a penalty not exceeding FIVE HUNDRED dollars and also costs of prosecution. 8. Repealment Bylaw No. 383 "Comox Water Rates and Regulations By-law 1974" is hereby repealed. 9. Adoption RECONSIDERED AND ADOPTED this 7TH day of March , 1979 CONSOLIDATED WATER RATES AND REGULATIONS BYLAW NO. 529 Page 9 THIS CONSOLIDATED BYLAW IS FOR CONVENIENCE PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LEGAL OR INTERPRETIVE PURPOSES WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL BYLAW AND AMENDING BYLAWS. CONSOLIDATED - Town of Comox Page 9 of 9 Water Rates and Regulations Bylaw No. 529 Current to: Apr 22, 2026 (SCHEDULE "A" updated, Bylaw 1904, Dec 5, 2018) (SCHEDULE "A" replaced, Bylaw 1940, April 1, 2020) (SCHEDULE "A" replaced, Bylaw 1973, May 5, 2021) (SCHEDULE "A" replaced, Bylaw 1991, Dec 1, 2021) (SCHEDULE "A" replaced, Bylaw 2011, Feb 15, 2023) (SCHEDULE "A" replaced, Bylaw 529.34, Nov 15, 2023) (SCHEDULE "A" replaced, Bylaw 529.35, Dec 4, 2024) PART 1 OF SCHEDULE "A" deleted and moved to Schedule "I" of Fees and Charges Bylaw (No. 2058) PART 2 OF SCHEDULE "A" deleted and moved to Schedule "J" of Fees and Charges Bylaw (No. 2058) BYLAW No. 529 SCHEDULE "A" [DELETED AND MOVED TO FEES AND CHARGES BYLAW]