Peel Region Backwater Valve Rebate: $1,500 and How to Apply

The Peel Region backwater valve rebate pays 60% of the invoiced cost of a sanitary backwater valve, up to $1,500 including tax. To qualify, the valve must be on the sanitary lateral of a single, semi or townhouse in Peel, installed after July 16, 2024 under a municipal building permit, and passed by a municipal inspector before you apply.

That is the short version from the Region’s backwater valve rebate page and its application form, both checked in October 2026. The details below cover who qualifies, the order of steps, the downspout rule that surprises people, and how this rebate differs from the City of Mississauga program.

What the Peel Region backwater valve rebate pays

The rebate is a percentage with a ceiling. Peel pays 60% of the invoice, and the invoice can include the valve, installation, permit and taxes as itemized by your contractor. The most you can receive is $1,500 including tax.

A quick illustration of how the cap works, using round numbers rather than real quotes:

Actual installation costs vary a lot with how deep your lateral is, whether the floor is finished and what the camera inspection finds, so get your own itemized quote. The rebate is limited to one per residence every 10 years, funding is first come, first served, and Peel can deny applications that do not meet the requirements or change the program at any time.

Why this is a Peel rebate, not a City one

In Mississauga, two governments run two different sewer systems. The City of Mississauga handles stormwater: catch basins, storm sewers and the storm lateral that may carry your foundation drain water. The Region of Peel runs the sanitary sewer: the pipe that takes water from toilets, sinks, showers, laundry and the basement floor drain to treatment.

A sanitary backwater valve sits on that sanitary lateral, usually near where it leaves the house. When the Region’s sewer surcharges in heavy rain, the valve closes so sewage cannot flow back up through your floor drain or lowest fixture. That is why the Region pays for it.

Peel’s page says Mississauga residents with a valve on the storm lateral should apply through the City instead. For that program, read our guide to the Mississauga basement flooding prevention rebate, which also covers the City’s sump pump measure. If you are not sure which pipe is causing trouble, our post on water coming up through a floor drain explains the signs of a sanitary backup.

Who qualifies

Section B of the Region’s form lists the eligibility checks. You need to be able to tick every one:

• You consulted a licensed contractor who confirmed a sanitary backwater valve suits the property.
• The valve is on a sanitary lateral that serves only one dwelling unit. Multi-unit dwellings and basement apartments sharing a lateral are not eligible, because a valve on those does not meet the Ontario Building Code according to the form.
• A qualified, licensed contractor installed it.
• It was installed at a residential property in Peel after July 16, 2024.
• The applicant is an individual, not a corporation or other business.
• You got a backwater valve building permit from Brampton, Mississauga or Caledon, and the installation passed municipal inspection.
• No backwater valve rebate was issued to the residence in the last 10 years.
• All downspouts are disconnected, or you signed the downspout release in Section D.

The program page describes eligible homes as residential singles, semis and townhomes. If your house has a legal or informal second unit that shares the sanitary lateral, talk to the Region before you spend money.

How to apply, step by step

Order matters here. Unlike the City program, Peel’s process does not ask for pre-approval from the Region, but you cannot skip the City permit.

1. Have a licensed plumber or drain contractor assess your plumbing. Peel’s terms ask the owner to investigate all connections where water can enter the sanitary system, including any weeping tile or downspouts tied in. A camera inspection is common.
2. Get a building permit from your city before installation. In Mississauga that is a City of Mississauga backwater valve permit.
3. Have the contractor install the valve on the sanitary lateral.
4. Book and pass the municipal inspection. Peel defines the work as complete only once it meets the Ontario Building Code and passes inspection.
5. Deal with your downspouts. Disconnect them from the sewer, or complete the Section D release (more on that below).
6. Fill in the application form, Sections A to D, and attach the building permit and the paid contractor invoice. The invoice must name the licensed contractor, describe the work, confirm the valve is on the sanitary lateral and break out costs such as the valve, installation, permit and taxes.
7. Submit it by email to publicworkscustserv@peelregion.ca, as a scanned hard copy by email, or by mail to Backwater Valve Rebate Program, 2 Copper Road, Brampton, ON L6T 4W5.

Peel says it reviews applications within 5 business days of receipt and mails a cheque within 4 to 6 weeks of approval. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. The Region may also need access to the property to verify the work, so keep copies of everything.

Questions to ask a contractor before you sign

Peel does not keep a list of approved installers and does not endorse contractors, so choosing one is up to you. The Region also warns that it does not do door-to-door sales. Anyone who says they install valves on Peel’s behalf should be treated with suspicion.

A few questions sort out most of the risk:

1. Which lateral will the valve go on, and how do you know? You want a clear answer that it is the sanitary lateral, ideally backed by a camera inspection.
2. Is my weeping tile or any downspout connected to the sanitary line? If so, ask what they recommend before the valve goes in, since a closed valve can trap that water inside.
3. Who pulls the building permit and books the inspection? Get this in writing. No permit and no inspection means no rebate.
4. Will the invoice itemize the valve, labour, permit and taxes and say “sanitary lateral”? Peel’s form asks for exactly that.
5. What type of valve is it, and how do I maintain it? Ask to be shown the access cover and how to check the flap.

Get more than one quote if you can, and keep copies of every document for your application.

The downspout rule

Peel’s terms say all downspouts must be disconnected from the sewer system. If you cannot or will not disconnect one or more, you can still qualify, but you must sign the Acknowledgement and Release in Section D in front of an adult witness. Without the witness’s name and signature, the application will not be processed.

The release exists for a practical reason. When the valve closes during a storm, any roof water still piped into the sewer on your side of the valve has nowhere to go but into your basement. By signing, you accept that risk and release the Region from liability for it.

If you do disconnect, the form recommends grading the ground at least 2% away from the house, making sure the water does not affect a neighbour, and sending it onto grass rather than a driveway where it could freeze into a slip hazard. Mississauga’s own guidance on downspouts is in our complete homeowner checklist for preventing basement flooding.

What a backwater valve does not do

A sanitary valve protects against one thing: sewage flowing back from the street. Peel’s terms are direct that it is not a guarantee against future flooding.

• Water used inside the house. While the valve is closed, a shower, load of laundry or flushed toilet drains into a sealed pipe and can back up into your own basement. During a heavy storm, keep water use to a minimum.
• Weeping tile or groundwater. If the foundation drain connects to the sanitary lateral upstream of the valve, groundwater can still rise inside. The form says these non-wastewater connections should be addressed before installation.
• Overland flooding. Water entering through windows, doors or cracks is a grading and sealing problem, not a sewer one.
• Blocked or broken pipes. If excavation finds plugged weeping tile or a damaged private lateral, Peel’s terms say fixing it is the owner’s cost, and leaving it can raise the risk of self-flooding.

A valve also needs care. Check that the flap moves freely and the access cover is clear, and follow the manufacturer’s cleaning schedule or ask your plumber to service it. Peel’s terms make the owner responsible for ongoing maintenance and for telling future buyers about it.

If sewage is backing up right now

The rebate is for prevention. If dirty water is rising from your floor drain today, stop using water in the house, stay out of the water, and avoid skin contact. Do not touch the electrical panel or anything plugged in if you are standing in water. Peel’s basement flooding page points owners to its emergency sewer backup request, and the Region’s main line is 905-791-7800. Report flooding on roads to 311.

Call your insurer as soon as you can and photograph everything before cleanup. Sewage needs proper cleaning and disinfection, and porous materials it soaked usually have to come out. Our basement flood cleanup team handles sewage-affected basements, and once the space is dry you can plan a valve install with the rebate in mind.