Coquitlam property tax bills to be mailed out; deferments get pricier

Property bills are up and on the way.

Coquitlam council formally approved the city’s tax rate bylaw Monday, which includes a 3.37 percent increase. Including utility fees, Coquitlam residents are set to pay an average of $4,558 in 2026.

Notices are set to arrive in Coquitlam mailboxes during the last week of May. Taxes are due July 2 with a five percent penalty for late payments. Another five percent fine would be applied after Sept. 15.

Property taxes can be deferred for homeowners 55 or older, or for a surviving spouse or a person with disabilities.

The interest rate on deferred taxes is now prime plus two percent. A total of 2,546 Coquitlam residents opted to defer their property taxes.

Coun. Dennis Marsden cast the lone vote against the tax rates, explaining that he couldn’t support putting more money in the $3.2 million development stabilization reserve.

As the money comes into the city from new growth, the city holds onto some of that cash to pay for associated infrastructure, Coun. Craig Hodge responded.

“The stabilization fund is a way of taking the money that’s coming in today from new people coming into these growing neighbourhoods, knowing that in a couple of years those services are going to come at a huge cost,” he said.

A single-family is set to pay about $1,655 for water, sewer, and solid waste – about $42 more than 2025. The biggest increase is a $25 bump in sewer costs from $636 to $661.

Port Coquitlam’s 1.95 percent property tax increase means the owner of an average Port Coquitlam home will pay about $3,829 this year.

Port Moody’s 3.95 percent tax increase means homeowners will pay an average of $3,316 not including utilities.