How much is water and sewer in Saint John in 2026?

$1,446.00 a year for a single residential unit: $801.78 for water and $644.22 for sewer, both flat rates set by the City. That is about $120.50 a month. It arrives as its own bill, separate from property tax.

Is water metered in Rothesay and Quispamsis?

Yes. Both towns charge a fixed amount for the meter plus the water it records: in 2026 Rothesay charges $1.40 per cubic metre for the first 96 cubic metres a quarter, and Quispamsis $1.1844. The total therefore depends on the household. The sewer charge in both is a flat annual fee for a single-family home.

Is water and sewer included in the property tax bill?

No. In Saint John, Rothesay, Quispamsis and Grand Bay-Westfield the utility is billed separately from property tax, so it belongs in a monthly budget as its own line.

Does a house on a well and septic system pay a water or sewer bill?

Not usually, but a home that could connect and has not can still be billed. Saint John charges an unconnected owner with access to City services $488.60 a year for water and sewer in 2026, Rothesay invoices the fixed water charge and the full sewer charge, and Quispamsis invoices the fixed water charge. Ask about any home on a well or septic system in those towns.

When do these rates change?

Councils set the next year's rates in their autumn budgets, usually in November. The figures on this page were read from each town's own page or by-law on September 24, 2026.

The monthly bill most buyers forget

What water and sewer cost here. Town by town, for 2026.

Town water and sewer is not in the property tax. It comes as its own bill, it differs a great deal from one town to the next, and a home on a well and septic system usually pays none of it. Here is what each town charges, from its own published rates.

Renforth wharf, Rothesay

Town	Water, a year	Sewer, a year	Fixed total, a month
Saint John	$801.782026 flat rate, single residential unit	$644.222026 flat rate, single residential unit	$120.50
Rothesay	$240.00 plus usage2026 fixed charge for the smallest (5/8 inch) meter; a 3/4 inch meter is $345.60Usage: $1.40 per cubic metre for the first 96 a quarter, $2.333 up to 800, $3.37 above	$550.002026 sewer service charge, single-family home	$65.83before the water the meter records
Quispamsis	$290.00 plus usagefixed charge for a 3/4 inch meter, which the town calls standard for most homesUsage: $1.1844 per cubic metre for the first 96 a quarter, $1.8757 above	$600.002026 sewer user fee, single residential unit	$74.17before the water the meter records
Grand Bay-Westfield	No town water rate published	$390.002026 sewer charge, one user unit	$32.50

Each town name links to its own rates. Read September 24, 2026; councils set the next year’s rates in the autumn, and these are due to be read again by December 1, 2026. Hampton is not listed because its rates were not published anywhere they could be checked on that date.

Rothesay's by-law also sets a water meter rental: $472 for a 5/8 inch meter, billed at $23.60 a quarter over five years. Ask the town whether it applies to a particular home.

Flat in Saint John, metered in the Valley

Saint John charges every single residential unit the same flat amount for water and for sewer, whatever the household uses: $1,446.00 a year in 2026, or about $120.50 a month. Rothesay and Quispamsis charge a fixed amount for the meter and then bill the water it records, so a household of five pays more than a couple in the same house. Grand Bay-Westfield bills sewer only.

On a well and septic system

Usually no town bill, and the upkeep is the owner’s instead: having the water tested, and the septic tank pumped and inspected on a schedule. Ask the seller for those records. The catch is a home that could connect to the town’s pipes and has not: Saint John bills an owner who has access to City water and sewer and is not connected: $488.60 a year for both in 2026, $270.91 for water alone or $217.69 for sewer alone. Rothesay invoices an owner who could connect to the water or sewer system and does not: the fixed water charge, and the sewer service charge in full. Worth asking about a home on a well or septic. Quispamsis invoices the fixed water charge to an owner who could connect to the water system and does not. Its page says nothing of the kind about sewer.

How to tell which a home has

The listing says so. “Municipal water” and “Municipal sewage system” mean the town bills it; “Well”, “Drilled well” and “Septic system” mean it does not. Every listing on this site reads those fields, and the mortgage calculator adds the right town’s charge to the monthly cost of owning when you arrive from a listing.

Questions

How much is water and sewer in Saint John in 2026?: $1,446.00 a year for a single residential unit: $801.78 for water and $644.22 for sewer, both flat rates set by the City. That is about $120.50 a month. It arrives as its own bill, separate from property tax.
Is water metered in Rothesay and Quispamsis?: Yes. Both towns charge a fixed amount for the meter plus the water it records: in 2026 Rothesay charges $1.40 per cubic metre for the first 96 cubic metres a quarter, and Quispamsis $1.1844. The total therefore depends on the household. The sewer charge in both is a flat annual fee for a single-family home.
Is water and sewer included in the property tax bill?: No. In Saint John, Rothesay, Quispamsis and Grand Bay-Westfield the utility is billed separately from property tax, so it belongs in a monthly budget as its own line.
Does a house on a well and septic system pay a water or sewer bill?: Not usually, but a home that could connect and has not can still be billed. Saint John charges an unconnected owner with access to City services $488.60 a year for water and sewer in 2026, Rothesay invoices the fixed water charge and the full sewer charge, and Quispamsis invoices the fixed water charge. Ask about any home on a well or septic system in those towns.
When do these rates change?: Councils set the next year's rates in their autumn budgets, usually in November. The figures on this page were read from each town's own page or by-law on September 24, 2026.

Buying in one of these towns and want the whole monthly picture? Closing costs, property tax after buying and the cost of owning cover the rest, or call Andrew at (506) 650-1242.