Basement flooding subsidies near Hamilton, 2026.

At a glance: what each area pays

Programs change, and some are funded year by year. Treat this as a starting point and confirm the current details on your municipality's site before any work starts.

Amounts and status checked against municipal sources in October 2026.

Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek and Waterdown

All of these communities are part of the City of Hamilton, so they share the City's Protective Plumbing Program. It offers residential owners a grant of up to $2,000 plus the cost of the building permit when the work is done by a City pre-qualified contractor. If you use someone who isn't pre-qualified, the grant drops to $500, and only toward a backwater valve.

To qualify, you need to own a single-family home connected to the City's sewer system, built before January 1, 2012, with your property taxes up to date. The property can't have had a backwater valve grant before, and you can't be adding a secondary dwelling unit at the same time.

• Covered: a backwater valve, a new sump pump and pit installed together with a backwater valve, and downspout disconnection.
• Not covered: replacement sump pumps and pits, and a new sump installed without a backwater valve.
• Paperwork: a building permit and a City inspection, then the grant is paid to you by cheque, usually four to six weeks after the City has your complete package.
• Funding: the program depends on Council's budget and can end without notice, so confirm it's open before you book.

After the storms of July 21, July 28, August 2 and August 7, 2026, the City also offered a one-time compassionate grant of up to $2,000 for uninsured flood costs such as clean-up, repairs and insurance deductibles. If you flooded this summer, check whether applications are still open.

Burlington, Oakville and Milton (Halton Region)

Halton Region runs the most generous program in the area. Its Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy applies to homes connected to the Region's municipal wastewater system, so homes on septic don't qualify. The amounts below apply to work completed after July 15, 2024.

• You apply after the work is finished and inspected, within one year of completion, with an itemized invoice marked paid in full.
• A new sump pump needs a local building permit and a passed final inspection, and water-powered backup pumps aren't eligible.
• Labour is only reimbursed when a contractor does the work, not when you do it yourself.
• It's one subsidy per property, even if the house changes hands.

Halton also offers a $1,000 ex-gratia grant toward your deductible or clean-up when a backup was caused by a problem on the municipal side or a storm surge. Report the backup to Halton 311 first.

Burlington has run its own extras on top of the Region's program, including covering up to half the cost of a limited number of professional home flood protection assessments and, in the past, waiving permit fees for backwater valves and sump pumps. Check the City's home flood prevention page for what's running now. We haven't found a separate Town of Oakville or Town of Milton program.

Brantford

Brantford's Basement Flooding Prevention Grant was set up after the July 16, 2024 storm and opened to all City homeowners in January 2025. It covers 80% of eligible costs, up to $5,000 per household, with caps on each item. In fall 2026 the City paused new applications while it updates the program, so check its current status first.

• You need the City's approval before any work starts, and the work has to be done within six months of your signed commitment letter.
• The home has to be owner-occupied, with taxes paid, and not covered by a new-home warranty. All downspouts must already be disconnected from the City sewers.
• A sump project has to disconnect the weeping tile from the sewer as part of the job.
• A backwater valve needs a City plumbing permit, and the City's guide says a sump pump installation needs a building permit.

Caledonia (Haldimand County)

Haldimand County doesn't subsidize sump pumps or backwater valves. Its Home Flood Protection Program, launched in June 2025, pays half the cost of a professional home flood assessment, which leaves the homeowner paying about $275 plus tax for an on-site visit or $237.50 plus tax for a virtual one. It's once per homeowner, for homes on municipal services with taxes paid in full.

An assessment is a sensible first step if you're not sure where your risk is. Just budget for the work itself, and remember that Haldimand requires a building permit to add drainage, waterproofing or a backwater valve to a foundation.

Grimsby

After the summer 2026 storms, the Town of Grimsby proposed a Basement Flood Protection Program that would cover 90% of eligible costs up to $6,500: up to $1,500 for a backwater valve, and up to $5,000 for weeping tile and downspout disconnection with a new sump pit and pump. It isn't approved yet and isn't taking applications. The Town is targeting early 2027, subject to Council and the 2027 budget.

• It would be open to single detached, semi-detached and townhouse homes on the municipal sanitary sewer.
• Drains would have to be disconnected from the sanitary sewer to qualify for any rebate.
• A licensed plumber and permits would be required before work starts.
• The Town may cover work done after July 1, 2026, but that isn't guaranteed, so don't count on it if you're booking now.

After the floods, the Town also temporarily waived its fee for backwater valve permits.

Cambridge

As of fall 2026 we haven't found a City of Cambridge or Region of Waterloo program that helps homeowners pay for backwater valves, sump pumps or downspout disconnection, so plan on covering the full cost. In Cambridge, the owner is also responsible for the water and sewer pipes from the property line into the house.

How to make sure you actually get paid

1. 01

   Check the program is open

   Funding is set year by year. A paused or closed program pays nothing, however good the work is.

2. 02

   Get approval first where it's required

   Brantford needs approval before work starts, Hamilton's full grant needs a pre-qualified contractor, and Halton wants proof of the drain connection before some work. Find out which rules apply to you before you book.

3. 03

   Use the right trade

   Backwater valves need a plumbing permit and are normally installed by a licensed plumber. Hamilton's full grant needs a City pre-qualified plumbing or drain contractor, so ask whoever quotes your job whether they're on the City's list.

4. 04

   Pull the permits

   Most programs pay only for work with a building permit and a passed inspection. Skipping the permit is the quickest way to lose the subsidy.

5. 05

   Keep the paperwork

   An itemized invoice marked paid in full, permit receipts and photos. Apply before the deadline, which is one year after completion in Halton.

What the subsidies don't cover

These programs are built to stop sewer backups: water coming up through a floor drain when the municipal system is overloaded. They don't pay for water coming through your walls.

Leaking cracks, failing weeping tile, window wells that fill up and walls that let water through are waterproofing problems, and you pay for those yourself. The exception is Halton's weeping tile disconnection with a sump pump, which is fully covered up to $6,500 and overlaps with part of many interior drainage jobs.

Plenty of homes need both kinds of protection. We'll tell you honestly which one you're dealing with, and which parts of the job a subsidy can help with.

Flood subsidy questions

The work these subsidies help pay for

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