Property Taxes

Banks and credit unions that offer payment services provide the opportunity to pay tax bills online, through telephone banking, or in-person. Set up the City of Prince George as the payee and enter your tax folio number.

Please allow up to three business days to process to ensure payment is made on time. Be sure to include the property tax folio number when paying online.

Cheques may be mailed to City Hall at:

City of Prince George
1100 Patricia Boulevard
Prince George, BC V2L 3V9
Canada

Tax payments sent by mail must be received at City Hall by the due date. Mail postmarked by the due date is not accepted as on time.

Property taxes may be paid through a pre-payment plan. Residents may complete an application form and submit it in person at the City Hall Service Centre:

City Hall Service Centre
1100 Patricia Boulevard
Prince George, BC V2L 3V9
Canada

A void cheque, direct deposit form, or counter cheque must be provided with the application form.

• Download the Pre-Authorized Monthly Payment Plan form [PDF]
  

Change Banking Information or Cancel a Pre-Payment Plan

To change banking information or to cancel a pre-payment plan, fill out the pre-payment plan change form (either as a downloadable PDF or through a web form), print the document, and submit it in person at the City Hall Service Centre.

• Submit the Change of Banking Information/Cancellation form online
  

Change in Mailing Address

For mailing address changes to property taxes or utilities accounts, complete the mailing address change online form (either as a downloadable PDF or through a web form) or mailing address change editable PDF and submit it in person at the City Hall Service Centre.

• Download the Mailing Address Change form [PDF]
• Submit the Mailing Address Change form online
  

Payments may be made in person by cheque, cash, or debit card at the City Hall Service Centre during regular working hours:

City Hall Service Centre
1100 Patricia Boulevard
Prince George, BC V2L 3V9

Phone: 311 (or 250-561-7600 outside city limits)
Email: 311@princegeorge.ca
Hours:

• Monday to Friday - 8:30am to 5:00pm
  
• Closed on statutory holidays
  

After-Hours Payments and Drop-Offs

Cheques may be left in drop boxes located at either City Hall entrance. You may also use the drop boxes for after-hours payments.

Do not leave cash in drop boxes.

The Claim

"People in Prince George pay higher property taxes than in other communities in BC. A home owner in Prince George will pay higher taxes than a resident of a different municipality who owns a house of the same value."

The Facts

The size, location, and type of home that can be purchased in Prince George is quite different from what that same amount of money can buy in Kamloops, Kelowna, and Nanaimo. Consequently, the best way to compare property tax rates in Prince George to those in other cities is to first find out what the average home price is in each community and then compare taxes on those homes.

For example, if you were to physically take a $500,000 home in Prince George and set it down in Kelowna, the value of that home would likely be reassessed immediately to $1,000,000. However, the 2021 residential tax rate in Kelowna is exactly half that of Prince George. As a result, this home would pay the exact same amount of tax in either city using the assessed values in this example.

The reverse is true as well. In 2020, the cheapest houses were in Cache Creek where they averaged $150,000. Property owners still paid $2,061 in taxes, which is comparable to the provincial average.

Bottom line: The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value is just as important as the individual property value. Comparing tax rates between cities is not a fair comparison without consideration of the average home price.

• Services such as water, sanitary sewer, and residential garbage collection are billed separately from property taxes. User fees (collected through City utility bills) support the operating costs of these services as well as the replacement of ageing infrastructure.

Where Your Tax Dollars Go

A portion of the taxes paid to the City every year goes toward municipal taxes while the rest are collected by the City and distributed to other taxation authorities like the Regional District, BC Assessment, and the Municipal Finance Authority.

Permissive tax exemption is available for qualifying, registered non-profit organizations using property for municipal, recreational, religious, cultural or charitable purposes.

• Download the Permissive Tax Exemption Application form [PDF]
  

Tax deferment is a low-interest loan program administrated by the Government of B.C. that helps qualified B.C. homeowners pay their annual property taxes on their principal residence.

• Learn more about the B.C. tax deferment program
  

The City is required by the Local Government Act on the last Monday of September to sell at tax sale all properties where taxes have not been paid in three years. The Local Government Act gives the Collector authority to sell a property for the "Upset Price" which equals all outstanding taxes + penalties + interest + five (5) per cent tax sale costs + Land Title Office fees.

All property sales are "as is" without warrant or guarantee by the City of Prince George. For complete information, prospective purchasers should consult the Local Government Act, in particular (but not limited to) Sections 645 to 672.

Tax rate tables from previous years are available for download. 

• 2021 Tax Rate table [PDF]
  
• 2020 Tax Rate table [PDF]
  
• 2019 Tax Rate table [PDF]
  
• 2018 Tax Rate table [PDF]
  
• 2017 Tax Rate table [PDF]
• 2016 Tax Rate table [PDF]