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City of Burnaby

Your tidy plumber
in Burnaby.

From our base in North Vancouver, we repipe Poly-B homes and strata buildings, test backflow assemblies and replace pressure reducing valves and water lines across Burnaby.

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Home · Service Areas · Burnaby

Deer Lake, Burnaby · Photo: Northwest, CC BY 4.0
New in 2026

Water meters are coming to Burnaby homes.

Burnaby's Residential Water Meter Program started in June 2026 with about 5,500 homes that already have meter-ready connections, and from September 2026 it moves on to homes with declared secondary suites. The meters are mandatory, the City covers the installation, and they go in at the property line.

The City says billing has not changed for now. But a meter counts every litre that passes it, including what leaks out on your side. It is a good time to deal with a dripping line, a running toilet or a failing Poly-B system.

  • Leak detection and repair
  • Water service lines replaced from the property line
  • Whole-home and strata repiping

Source: City of Burnaby, Residential Water Meter Program

Homes in Burnaby

A strata city with many homes from the 1980s and 90s.

Burnaby has more than 101,000 homes, and 42% of them are condominiums. More than 28,000 were built between 1981 and 2000, a period that includes most of the years when Poly-B was used. The City's 1998 plan records that most of the homes built from 1986 to 1996 went up in the Metrotown, Lougheed and Edmonds town centres, with many more in Cariboo Hill, the George Derby lands and Oaklands.

Occupied homes101,135
Built 1981 to 200028,700 (28.4%)
Built 1961 to 198024.5%
Condominium42.1%
Apartments, 5 or more storeys29.4%
Single-detached houses18.9%

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population (occupied private dwellings); Burnaby Official Community Plan, 1998.

Strata repipes: which pipes are part of a unit and which are common property depends on the strata plan, and the bylaws set who repairs what, so we plan the access, shut-downs and notices with the council and the property manager. Prices and monthly payments through iFinance are on the Poly-B replacement page.
Burnaby water rules, explained

What the City asks of homeowners.

Plain-language summaries of the official rules, each with its source. Always check the current version for your property.

Backflow

Every backflow preventer, tested every year

Burnaby's plumbing bylaw requires every backflow preventer to be tested when installed, when cleaned, repaired, moved or reinstalled, and every year no later than the anniversary of its last test, by a BCWWA-certified tester. The owner of the property is responsible for the device, and the City's report form must be submitted no later than 10 days after the test.

Sources: Plumbing Bylaw No. 11148, s. 13; Waterworks Bylaw No. 3325, s. 33; test report form
Backflow

Its own permit since November 2024

Since November 1, 2024, every backflow prevention device is applied for under a separate Backflow Prevention Device Permit, in person at City Hall or through the My Permits Portal.

Source: Backflow permit bulletin
Pressure

A regulator above 75 psi

Burnaby runs 21 pressure reducing valve stations and divides the city into pressure zones by elevation. Its engineering design criteria call for a pressure reducing valve in the building wherever the maximum pressure exceeds 515 kPa (75 psi). The City notes that a failing pressure reducing valve can cause high water pressure and suggests having a plumber check it.

Sources: Water pressure changes; Engineering Design Criteria
Permits

Repiping needs a permit

Installing, changing or upgrading any part of the plumbing in a single-family or duplex home needs a permit, and the City lists re-piping among its online plumbing permits. An owner can take out a permit only for a single-family home they own and live in, and not if it has a secondary suite.

Sources: Residential trade permits; Plumbing Bylaw, s. 8(9); permit application
Gas

Burnaby issues its own gas permits

Technical Safety BC lists the City of Burnaby among the local governments that issue their own gas permits, so a natural gas hot water tank in Burnaby is permitted through the City. Our licensed gas contractor handles the gas permit.

Source: Technical Safety BC, jurisdiction
Your pipes

The street side is City work

Only City crews work on water services under Burnaby's streets. On your property, the bylaw requires the pipe to be at least 762 mm deep and every home to have a properly placed stop and waste cock.

Source: Waterworks Bylaw No. 3325, s. 5 and 6
Services in Burnaby

What we do for Burnaby homes.

The same team and the same careful, contained approach on every job, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Poly-B replacement & repiping

Whole-home and strata repiping, our leading specialty.

Water-main & water-service replacement

The line from the property line to your home, replaced to code by open trench, backfill included.

Backflow testing

Testing by a BCWWA-certified tester, with the report filed the way your municipality asks.

Hot water tanks & tankless

Gas work is done by our licensed gas contractor, who handles the gas permit or decal.

Repairs & leak detection

Leaks found, repaired properly and documented, plus taps, toilets and sinks.

Water pressure & shut-offs

Pressure-reducing valves serviced, cleaned or replaced, and main shut-off valves replaced.

Renovation plumbing

Kitchen and bathroom rough-in and fixture installation for homeowners and general contractors.

Strata & commercial

Common-property and parkade piping planned with your council or property manager, and work inside individual suites.

Burnaby, answered

Questions Burnaby homeowners ask us.

How often does a backflow preventer need testing in Burnaby?

Every year, no later than the anniversary of its last test, and also when it is installed, cleaned, repaired, moved or reinstalled. The test must be done by a BCWWA-certified tester, and the City's form says the report must be submitted no later than 10 days after the test. Reza is a BCWWA-certified backflow assembly tester.

Do I need a separate permit for a backflow preventer in Burnaby?

Yes. Since November 1, 2024, every backflow prevention device is applied for under its own Backflow Prevention Device Permit, separate from the plumbing permit.

Is the City putting a water meter on my house?

If your home is in the program, yes. Burnaby's Residential Water Meter Program began installing meters in June 2026 at about 5,500 homes with meter-ready connections, then from September 2026 at homes with declared secondary suites. The meters are mandatory, the City covers the installation, they go in at the property line, and the City says there is no change to water billing at this time.

Who handles the gas permit for a new gas hot water tank in Burnaby?

Burnaby is on Technical Safety BC's list of local governments that issue their own gas permits, so a natural gas tank replacement here is permitted through the City rather than Technical Safety BC. Our licensed gas contractor handles the gas permit for the work.

Can I take out my own plumbing permit in Burnaby?

Only for a single-family home you own and live in or plan to live in, and not if the home has a secondary suite. Otherwise the permit is taken out by a plumbing contractor.

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