Request for Water Meter Reading

The Town manages approximately 1,100 water accounts. Water meter reading information is obtained from remote sensors or radio frequency (RF) transmitters that are located on the inside of each home, business and facility within municipal boundaries. This information is transmitted through our RF network and downloaded into Trenton’s water billing system and used to produce bills quarterly (January, April, July and October).

If a water meter reading is requested outside of the regularly scheduled billing period, an administration fee of $20.00 is applied to provide information regarding the account. Cheques should be made payable to the Town of Trenton.

Request a Water Meter Read

Meter read requests must be made in writing and can be sent along with payment to:

Town of Trenton
P.O. Box 328
Trenton, NS
B0K 1X0

Requests can also be submitted via fax: 902-752-0090 or email:  

To avoid delay, a minimum of five (5) business days are required when requesting water meter reading from the Town of Trenton.

Water Bill

PUBLIC NOTICE: The following public notice will be included with water bills mailed April 2023:

Water Usage Charges

Residents are charged on a 'user pay' basis for water. This means you only pay for the water you use - the more you use, the higher your water use charge. Residents are directly billed for the water they use, as well their share of the costs for transporting clean water to their homes and carrying wastewater away from their homes for treatment and release back into the environment. Water use is measured by water meters

Water Meter Readings

The Town manages approximately 1,100 water accounts. Water meter reading information is obtained from remote sensors or radio frequency (RF) transmitters that are located on the inside of each home, business and facility within municipal boundaries. This information is transmitted through our RF network and downloaded into Trenton’s water billing system and used to produce bills quarterly (January, April, July and October).

Meters must always be accessible so they can be readily examined, read or replaced by our staff as needed. We recommend leaving an unobstructed space in front of the water meter.

Water Rates

Your water bill includes a Water Usage Charge & Base Rate. Rates effective April 1, 2023.

Water Rate - $2.26*
*per cubic meter.

Base Rate - The base rate is a flat rate set by the Nova Scotia Utility & Review Board and is dependent on the size of service pipe. The standard size pipe going into a residential dwelling is 5/8".

Pipe SizeBase Rate
5/8"  $60.63
3/4" $89.96
1"  $148.61
1 1/2" $295.24
2" $471.20
3" $940.43
4" $1,468.30
6" $2,934.62
8" $5,280.74

Nova Scotia Utility & Review Board - Town of Trenton Details

Payment Options

There are several options for owners to pay their Water & Sewer Bills in Trenton:

  • In-person at Town Hall (120 Main Street, Trenton) Town Hall public office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm
  • Online Banking - Use your Municipal Account Number found on your utility bill for online banking. The account number needed will be numbers only (12345678) unlike your customer code which has letters & numbers (NAMEA001) - do not use this code for online banking. Please use the first 8 digits only. Do not include the decimal (.00) for online banking.
  • Mailed Cheques - Cheques can be made out to "Town of Trenton" and mailed to: Town of Trenton, P.O. Box 328, Trenton, NS B0K 1X0
  • At your local bank branch - Bring your utility bill to your local bank branch for payment. 
  • Direct Payment Plan - To set up a direct payment plan, please complete the pdf Pre-Authorized Payment Plan – Acknowledgement Form (945 KB)  and submit to Town Hall with a void cheque or automatic withrawal form from your banking institution. For more information, please contact Town Hall at 902-752-5311.

Late Payments

The total amounts billed must be paid by the due date to avoid interest charges. Interest will accumulate at 1.25% per month to all outstanding amounts following the due date.

Online payments may take 2-3 business days (Monday to Friday) to be processed by your bank. For this reason, payments do not reach the Town on the same day the payment is made. For example, payments made late Saturday or on Sunday are not likely to be received by the Town until at least Tuesday. Banking institutions are closed on many holidays which will also affect their processing time. Please take this into consideration as interest may be charged if the payment has not reached the Town by the billing due date.

Cheques mailed to the Town are processed when they are recieved. This means the cheque date is not considered the actual payment date. Please take this into consideration when mailing payments by cheque. To ensure payments are recieved in a timely manner, consider post-dating your cheque and mailing it early enough to be recieved and processed by the Town prior to/on the billing due date.

Understanding Your Water Bill

The information below will help residents understand the information on their Water Bill.

**Please note, the Understanding Your Water Bill section is currently being updated to reflect the water rate increase (see notice at top of page).

Fire Inspections

The Town of Trenton employs municipal fire inspectors as required by the Fire Safety Act of Nova Scotia. The inspectors carry out a system of inspections on the following occupancies:

  • Assembly occupancies - churches, community halls, licensed establishments, restaurants, theatres, arenas, gyms, museums, etc.
    Residential occupancies containing 4 or more dwelling units - apartments, motels, etc.
  • Business and personal service occupancies - offices, banks and service shops
  • Mercantile occupancies - stores, markets and retail outlets
  • Industrial occupancies - workshops, factories, warehouses, repair garages, gas stations, etc.

The inspectors are responsible to ensure that these occupancies comply with the National Fire Code of Canada and are able to provide information on fire safety and fire emergency planning.

If your building falls within one of the categories listed above, you are required to have an inspection. Please contact the Fire Inspector at (902) 752-5311

Fire Safety Planning

The National Fire Code of Canada requires that certain buildings develop and maintain a Fire Safety Plan. The Fire Inspector can assist in the development and/or maintenance of these plans and has prepared a   pdf Fire Safety Plan Template (274 KB) . The Fire Safety Plan Template helps people prepare or enhance their fire safety plan so that they meet the requirements of the Fire Code. 

The following occupancies are required to have a formal fire safety plan:

  • Assembly occupancies (any building in which persons gather, including restaurants, halls, gyms, libraries, churches etc.
  • Every building required to have a fire alarm system including sprinklered buildings
  • Areas used for bulk storage
  • Areas where flammable or combustible liquids are stored or handled
  • Areas where hazardous processes or operations occur

If your building falls within one of the categories listed above, you are required to have a fire safety plan.  For more information, please contact the Fire Inspector at (902) 752-5311.

Dangerous & Unsightly Properties

How to Make a Complaint

The dangerous and unsightly complaint form can be picked up at the main office or printed from the Related Documents section of this page.

The Town will only conduct an investigation of a dangerous or unsightly property once a complaint form has been received and has been signed by the complainant.

Complaints shall be considered confidential, but are subject to Part XX of the Municipal Government Act & Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Dangerous & Unsightly Definition

The Town of Trenton enforces the requirements of Section 15 of the Municipal Government Act of Nova Scotia. The Act requires that "every property in a municipality shall be maintained so as not to be dangerous or unsightly."

"dangerous or unsightly" means partly demolished, decayed, deteriorated or in a state of disrepair so as to be dangerous, unsightly or unhealthy, and includes property containing:

  1. ashes, junk, cleanings of yards or other rubbish or refuse or a derelict vehicle, vessel, item of equipment or machinery, or bodies of these or parts thereof,
  2. an accumulation of wood shavings, paper, sawdust, dry and inflammable grass or weeds or other combustible material, or
  3. any other thing that is dangerous, unsightly, unhealthy or offensive to a person, and includes property, a building or structure
  4. that is in a ruinous or dilapidated condition,
  5. the condition of which seriously depreciates the value of land or buildings in the vicinity
  6. that is in such a state of non-repair as to be no longer suitable for human habitation or business purposes
  7. that is an allurement to children who may play there to their danger
  8. constituting a hazard to the health or safety of the public
  9. that is unsightly in relation to neighbouring properties because the exterior finish of the building or structure is not maintained
  10. that is a fire hazard to itself or to surrounding lands or buildings, or
  11. that has been excavated or had fill placed on it in a manner that results in a hazard

Building & Development Permits

A Building & Development Permit is Required for:

  • New building construction
  • Structural change
  • Building Demolition
  • Building Relocation
  • Change of occupancy or use
  • Swimming Pools (deeper than 24 inches/60cm)
  • Building repairs or renovations
  • Interior alterations
  • Accessory buildings that are greater than 20m2 (215ft2) in floor area
  • Decks and stairs
  • Roof enclosure over an existing or new deck
  • Re-roofing where the roof pitch is being changed

Before a Building Permit, Development Permit, or Demolition Permit is issued, an applicant must complete an   pdf application form (675 KB)  and provide the fee for the permit per the Town`s Permit Fee Schedule.

The applicant may also be required to provide additional documentation, including a full set of drawings, Central Services form, an Authorization form, and Letters of Undertaking. Remember to apply early enough to avoid disappointment. It may take time for all the applications to be processed.

Once a building permit is issued, building inspections will be required at various stages of construction. Once the final inspection is completed, an occupancy permit is issued to the property owner.

Building and Demolition Permits expire after 12 months and are renewable.

Additional Details

In certain cases, a footing permit may be issued before the full building permit. Once the Development Permit has been issued and appropriate information has been submitted, a footing permit may be issued permitting the excavation. Upon approval of excavation by the Building Inspector, footings may be placed. Once a Certificate of Location of the actual footings is submitted to the Building Inspector, a Building Permit can be considered. The cost for this permit is included in the cost of the application for a Building Permit.

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