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Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program open
Administered by the City of Toronto, Toronto Water.
Toronto pays up to 80% of the cost of protecting a house from basement flooding: up to $1,600 for each of two backwater valves, $2,250 for a sump pump and $300 for its battery backup, $500 for a plumbing assessment and $400 for capping the weeping tile connection. The amounts rose on 1 May 2026, to $6,650 a property in all, for work done since 12 November 2025.
source · verified 2 October 2026
What it pays
| Upgrade | Condition | Up to |
|---|---|---|
| Backwater valve and its alarm | Each, up to two devices; 80% of the invoice | $1,600 |
| Sump pump and alarm | One device; 80% of the invoice | $2,250 |
| Home plumbing assessment | Once, by a licensed plumber; 80% of the invoice | $500 |
| Foundation drain (weeping tile) severance and capping | 80% of the invoice | $400 |
| Sump pump battery backup | On top of the sump pump; itemized on the invoice | $300 |
| Item | Up to |
|---|---|
| Backwater valve (one device) | $1,250 |
| Sump pump | $1,750 |
| Weeping tile severance and capping | $400 |
Every amount is 80% of the invoiced cost, labour, materials and taxes included, up to the figure shown. Each kind of work has a lifetime maximum per property, and earlier subsidies count against it.
Who is eligible
- who
- The registered owner of a single-family house, duplex, triplex or fourplex in Toronto.
- downspouts
- Disconnected from the City's sewer already, or an exemption granted. Disconnecting them earns nothing.
- paving
- Front-yard paving and parking pads must comply with the zoning by-law.
- contractor
- Every contractor and sub-contractor must hold a City of Toronto business licence when the work is done; check it before work starts.
- timing
- Apply within two years of each installation (one year for work done before 12 November 2025), with the original electronic invoices.
- debts
- No outstanding taxes or debts owed to the City when the application is processed.
What disqualifies you
The rules people find out about after the work is done.
- Downspouts still connected to the City's sewer, without an exemption.
- A contractor without a City of Toronto business licence at the time of installation.
- Applying more than two years after the installation.
- Buildings other than a single-family house, duplex, triplex or fourplex.
Where the application goes
Online to Toronto Water, after the work is done.
| If this is you | Apply here |
|---|---|
| Apply | toronto.ca |
| Questions | [email protected] or 416-338-7668 |
The thing most pages get wrong
The $6,650 is not a typical subsidy. It is every item added together: two backwater valves, a sump pump with its battery, the plumbing assessment and the weeping tile capping. A house that needs one backwater valve gets up to $1,600, and the City pays 80% of the invoice, not a flat amount, so a cheaper job gets less.
Two rules that sink applications
The downspouts have to be off the sewer before the City pays anything, and the contractor has to hold a Toronto business licence on the day of the work. Neither can be fixed after the fact, so check both before booking the job.
Subject to the City's budget
Subsidies are first come, first served and depend on the funding City Council approves each year. The City says it has issued about $86 million in subsidies to roughly 59,000 applications since the programme began.
Sources
- https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted-snow/basement-flooding/basement-flooding-protection-subsidy-program/ — primary source, read 2 October 2026
- https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted-snow/basement-flooding/basement-flooding-protection-subsidy-program/basement-flooding-protection-subsidy-application/
- https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-to-almost-double-the-amount-of-basement-flooding-subsidies-starting-may-1/