Water Service Connection Permit

It is a condition of this permit that no work in the City’s right of way shall commence until such time as the emergency declared pursuant to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, R.S.O., 1990, c. E. 9, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, expires or is otherwise terminated. Specifically, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, absolutely no work that requires water or wastewater shut off, shall be permitted until the aforementioned declared emergency has ended.

WAIVER NOTICE - READ CAREFULLY: The issuance of this permit does not constitute, and shall not be construed to constitute, an opinion on the part of The Corporation of the City of Brantford that the construction to which this permit relates is “essential” as defined by the Province of Ontario. CAUTION – BE ADVISED that the issuance of this permit is subject to all restrictions and prohibitions under the law. More specifically, this permit does not mean that construction may be carried out in contravention of any act, regulation or provincial, federal, or municipal order prohibiting construction deemed non-essential during a declared emergency or otherwise. To avoid contravention of the law, it is recommended that you seek independent legal advice to determine whether the project is deemed essential under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.9 and the regulations thereunder, as amended, before proceeding with construction. Construction projects deemed non-essential are prohibited.

Please review the following permit application procedures based on size of water service as well as important information concerning inspections, metering requirements and pipe materials prior to proceeding with your application. Please note that you will receive an email to confirm receipt of your application.

Applicants are required to submit a Water Service Application Review Fee in accordance with the City’s current Fees & Charges By-law upon making application for a Water Service Permit.

Residential Water Services Sized 25 mm (1”) and Under:

No additional documentation is required.

Commercial, Industrial or Institutional Water Services

Services Sized 50 mm (2”) and Under:

1. Upon making application for a Water Service Permit, the owner will be required to provide the following:
   • Site servicing drawings
   • Proposed domestic water demands
   • Fire demands (if necessary) for services sized 38 mm (11/2”) and 50 mm (2”)
2. All industrial, commercial and institutional applications will be referred to the City’s Environmental Services for review to determine meter size.
3. Customer Services will review all applications for any applicable service charges, eg. frontage charges, pre-servicing charges, and connection fees.
4. All applicable charges will be applied to customer’s initial water bill.
5. An inspection fee will be charged for each visit required to complete the inspection process, (fees are set according to Schedule 2 of the City of Brantford’s annually updated Fees and Charges By-law.

All Services Sized Larger Than 50 mm (2”):

1. The permit application will then be referred directly to the City’s Engineering Services for review.
2. The owner is to supply the City’s Engineering Department with the following:
   • Site servicing drawings
   • Design flows for both domestic and fire water demands
   • Metering requirements
3. In accordance with the City’s Fees & Charges By-law, the actual cost will be determined and charged for review and inspections upon issuance of permit.

Inspection of Water Service – Installation or Removal:

1. All water service connections must be inspected by the Public Works Department.
2. All inspections will be scheduled during normal working hours. Any inspections occurring outside these hours will be subject to after-hours charges.
3. Connection of any water services to the City’s water distribution system must be inspected by a Ministry of Environment Conservation and Park (MECP) licensed distribution operator.
4. All materials and installation methods of all water servicing must be done in accordance with the Linear Design and Construction Manual - Watermains.

Water Meters

1. Water meters will not be issued until the water service has been inspected and approved by the City.
2. It is the responsibility of the customer to request issuance of the water meter from Customer Services.
3. City water meters are typically sized one size smaller than the size of the water service, but will ultimately be sized based on water demand.
4. Installations of meters required to be the same size as the incoming water service must be approved by Environmental Services.
5. City water meters must be located at a point immediately after the water service enters the building where it passes under the footing and brought up through the floor.
6. All meters will be sealed by the City at the time of installation, and no seal may be altered or broken except by employees or authorized agents of the City.
7. If a water service is found to be turned on prior to installation of a meter, the customer will be back-billed for the minimum water bill based on service size, back to the date of the water service inspection.

Pipe Materials

1. If a property owner chooses to replace their existing metallic water service supply with a new, City of Brantford approved plastic supply line, they are responsible to ensure the electrical service ground has been installed correctly to accommodate a plastic water service before removing the metallic water service.
2. In order to meet point #1 above, the City of Brantford requires that the property owner have the electrical grounding system inspected by ESA. The reference number from the “Certificate of Inspection” issued by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) must be presented to the City Inspector which certifies the internal electrical grounding system has been properly modified to accommodate the newly installed non-conductive water service.
3. Failure to provide an ESA Certificate of Inspection reference number will result in the private water service installation not being approved. Click to see a sample of the ESA's Certificate of Inspection.