waterdamagequotesThe device · that replaces gravity
Sump pump installation: what it costs, what cities pay towards it, and the rules on where it drains
A sump pump is the device that replaces gravity. When a house’s weeping tile can no longer drain to the street — because it has been disconnected from the sewer, or because the water table is too high — the water collects in a pit below the basement floor and a pump lifts it out to the lawn.
It is also the device that more Canadian municipal programmes help pay for than any other on this site, and the one with the most rules attached: where it may discharge, who may install it, and in some cities whether a house must have one at all. This page sets out what it costs where anyone publishes a price, what eight programmes pay towards it, the rules, and how long one lasts.
The short version
- What companies publish for installation: $565 – $3,500 (Aquatech, Toronto), ~$800–$2,500 (Tor Contracting, Simcoe and Dufferin), $500 to $3,000 (RCC Waterproofing, Mississauga). Replacing a pump in an existing pit: $300 to $1,200 (JZ Plumbing). Their own figures, named — not an average.
- The federal guidance treats a sump pump as the fallback: for homes with a high water table or foundation drains that do not drain to the storm sewer.
- Eight Ontario programmes on this site pay towards one — from Toronto’s $2,250 at 80 per cent to Mississauga’s $6,000 option.
- Where it discharges is regulated: at least 1.5 m from the foundation federally, two metres onto a permeable surface in Toronto, never into the floor drain in Winnipeg.
- Federal guidance puts its life at about ten years, with a full test once a year.
The parts, and what the quote calls them
| What you would say | What the quote or programme calls it | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| The hole in the floor | Sump pit / sump crock | A new pit through the slab is most of the cost difference between quotes. |
| The pump | Primary sump pump | The device the subsidies are written around. |
| The pipe out | Discharge piping / discharge line | Where it ends is regulated; St. Catharines funds it as a line item. |
| The flap on the pipe | Check valve | Stops pumped water running back into the pit. |
| Spare pump | Secondary or backup pump (battery or water-siphon) | Funded separately in Toronto and London, inside one pot in St. Catharines. |
| Beeper | Sump pump alarm | Covered by Toronto’s sump allowance. |
| Connecting the weeping tile | Weeping tile disconnection / redirection | Often the reason the pump is needed at all. |
| Overflow to the yard | Sump pump overflow | Windsor funds it on its own for an existing pump. |
When a house needs one
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
The federal answer to when a sump pump is the right device: it is the fallback for when gravity drainage to the street cannot do the job. The page's preference is stated first — grading and foundation drains should ideally prevent water accumulating around the foundation at all.
So the federal answer is that the first choice is not a pump: it is grading and a foundation drain that works by gravity. A pump becomes the answer in two situations — a high water table, and a foundation drain that cannot reach the storm sewer. Municipal programmes create a third: when a city pays you to cut your weeping tile off the sanitary sewer, the pump is what takes its place.
City of Toronto, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program · 2026
Which is the connection between the two line items: severing the weeping tile from the sewer leaves the water with nowhere to go, so the sump pump is what replaces the pipe you just capped. They are bought together for a reason.
City of Mississauga, Basement Flooding Prevention Rebate · 2026
The City's Option 1 in one sentence, and it is three pieces of work rather than one: reroute the weeping tile into a pit, cap the old pipe to the City's storm sewer, and take the downspouts off the same system. A quote for “a sump pump” that does not include the other two is not a quote for this rebate.
How much a sump pump costs to install
No Canadian city publishes an installed sump pump price, and this site does not invent an average. What companies do publish varies with the job, so the first table sorts their figures by what is actually being bought — a pump on its own, a pump swapped into a pit you already have, a new pit through the slab, and the extras.
| The job | Published figure | Who publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| The pump alone | $150 to $500 | JZ Plumbing (2025) |
| Replacing a pump in an existing pit, pump and labour | $300 to $1,200 | JZ Plumbing (2025); Toronto $400 to $1,200 |
| New installation: pit, pump and discharge | $565 – $3,500 | Aquatech Waterproofing (Toronto) |
| Installation or replacement | ~$800–$2,500 | Tor Contracting (Simcoe & Dufferin) |
| Sump pump services | $500 to $3,000 | RCC Waterproofing (Mississauga page) |
| Battery backup, added | $200 to $600 | JZ Plumbing (2025) |
| Alarm, added | $50 to $150 | JZ Plumbing (2025) |
| Interior drainage channel plus sump pump | ~$3,000–$8,000 | Tor Contracting |
Read the rows as different jobs, not as a range for one job. A pump that has failed in a working pit is the cheap end; a new pit cut through the slab, with the weeping tile connected and a discharge line to the yard, is the middle; a drainage channel around the basement is the top. Then subtract what your city pays: in Toronto that is 80 per cent of the invoice up to $2,250 — worked on real invoices on Toronto’s sump pump subsidy — and the other programmes are in the next section. The company figures behind the table:
| Company | Published figure | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Aquatech Waterproofing (Toronto) | $565 – $3,500 | Sump pump installation |
| Tor Contracting Inc. (Simcoe & Dufferin) | ~$800–$2,500 | Sump pump install or replacement |
| Tor Contracting Inc. | ~$3,000–$8,000 | Interior drainage channel plus sump pump |
| RCC Waterproofing (Mississauga page) | $500 to $3,000 | Sump pump services |
Aquatech Waterproofing, published price list · 2026
The Toronto company's published range for sump pump installation, on a page marked updated January 8, 2026. Set beside Tor Contracting's ~$800–$2,500, the two lists overlap but do not agree — a new pit dug through a slab and a pump swapped into an existing pit are different jobs under the same words.
RCC Waterproofing, Mississauga service prices · 2026
Published as “$500 - $3000” for sump pump services on the company's Mississauga page, which says pumps may be installed with backup batteries. Read 2026-10-18; page modified August 26, 2026. One company's own figure, named.
The spread is the scope. Replacing a failed pump in an existing pit is one job; cutting a new pit through a concrete slab, connecting the weeping tile to it, capping the old drain and running a discharge line to the yard is another; adding an interior drainage channel around the basement is a third. Ask which one a quote is for, and whether the permit, the check valve, the alarm and the discharge line are in it.
Replacing a pump in an existing pit
JZ Plumbing (Ontario), How much does it cost to replace a sump pump in Canada? · 2025
The company's range for replacing a sump pump in Canada, pump and labour included, published May 26, 2025. By city it gives Toronto $400 to $1,200, Ottawa $370 to $1,100, Calgary $350 to $1,000, Vancouver $450 to $1,200 and Montreal $350 to $1,100; a battery backup adds $200 to $600 and an alarm $50 to $150; the pump alone is $150 to $500. One company's own figures, named, not a market average.
| City | Replacement, pump and labour (JZ Plumbing, 2025) |
|---|---|
| Toronto | $400 – $1,200 |
| Ottawa | $370 – $1,100 |
| Calgary | $350 – $1,000 |
| Vancouver | $450 – $1,200 |
| Montreal | $350 – $1,100 |
A replacement is the cheap end of this page because the expensive work is already done: the pit is cut, the weeping tile runs into it, the discharge line exists. That is why one company’s replacement range tops out where the installation ranges above only begin. Add-ons are where a replacement quote grows — the same company puts a battery backup at $200 to $600 and an alarm at $50 to $150. If the pump being replaced is about ten years old, that is the federal rule of thumb working as intended, not bad luck. Toronto’s subsidy covers replacement as well as new installation.
Eight programmes that pay towards one
| Programme | What it funds | Maximum | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | Sump pump, including an alarm | $2,250 | 80% of the invoice |
| Mississauga | Sump pump, Option 1, with foundation drain capping and downspouts | $6,000 | Not published |
| Ottawa | Sump pump in an existing pit | $1,500 | Lesser of the cap or the cost |
| Ottawa | Sump pump in a new pit | $3,000 | Lesser of the cap or the cost |
| Hamilton | Sump pump installed alongside a valve | within the $2,000 grant | Not published |
| London | Sump pit and pump with weeping tile disconnection | $4,000 | 90% |
| Windsor | Sump pump with overflow and floor drain disconnection | $2,000 | Not published; apply first |
| Niagara Falls | Weeping tile disconnection and sump pump | $4,000 including taxes | 100% of eligible costs |
| St. Catharines | Sump pit, primary and backup pumps (one pot) | $5,000 in total | 90% of eligible costs |
Three differences matter more than the headline amounts. Mississauga’s figure is for a whole option — the pump, capping the foundation drain and disconnecting downspouts — not a pump alone. Ottawa pays twice as much for a pump in a new pit as in an existing one, which is the cost difference in the table above put the other way round. And Windsor and London will not pay for work already started, while Toronto takes applications within two years of installation. The full rules are on each city’s page and on the Ontario comparison.
City of Toronto, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program · 2026
Included in what Toronto's sump pump allowance covers, alongside installation or replacement of the pump itself — up to 80 per cent of the invoiced cost to $2,250 for one device, for work completed after November 12, 2025. The battery backup is a separate line, up to 80 per cent to $300.
Where it may discharge, and who may install it
| Who says so | The rule |
|---|---|
| Government of Canada | At least 1.5 m (5 ft.) from the foundation if possible, preferably onto a lawn or garden |
| City of Toronto | Onto a permeable surface at least two metres from the foundation wall |
| City of Winnipeg | Not onto neighbouring properties, lanes, sidewalks, boulevards or streets, and not into the floor drain — illegal under the Lot Grading By-law |
| City of Calgary | Not onto neighbouring properties, lanes, sidewalks, boulevards or streets, or into a foundation drain or weeping tile |
| City of Saskatoon | Sumps connected to the sanitary sewer should be disconnected and discharge onto the lawn |
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
The federal minimum for where the discharge pipe should let go, preferably onto an area with good drainage such as a lawn or garden. Toronto's subsidy conditions ask for at least two metres onto a permeable surface, so the municipal rule is the stricter one where both apply.
City of Winnipeg, Sump pit drainage systems · 2025
Page last updated January 22, 2025. The City ties the rule to its Lot Grading By-law. It also says permits and inspections are needed to install a backwater valve and a sump pit.
The rules share a logic: water pumped out of the pit must not come straight back — into the weeping tile, into the sanitary sewer, or onto a neighbour. Saskatoon adds the installer rule: sump pumps and backwater valves must be installed by a licensed plumbing contractor registered with the City, under a plumbing permit.
City of Saskatoon, Protective Plumbing · 2026
About homes whose sumps are connected to the sanitary sewer. The same page says sump pumps and backwater valves must be installed by a licensed plumbing contractor registered with the City, under a plumbing permit.
Where it is mandatory
City of Winnipeg, Sump pit drainage systems · 2025
And new homes built since 1990 are required to have sump pits with pumps, which the City attributes to changes to the Manitoba Building Code in 1990. Page last updated January 22, 2025. The City also explains why the two go together: with a backwater valve alone, weeping tiles connected to the sewer line cannot drain when the valve closes.
City of Saskatoon, Protective Plumbing · 2026
The City adds that homes built after 2005 should have weeping tile draining to a sump pump that discharges into the yard, and that it has mandated a sump pumping system in all homes built after January 1, 2004. Almost four decades of Saskatoon housing, by the City's own account, drains groundwater into the pipe that carries sewage.
Two Prairie cities date the requirement: Winnipeg since 1990, Saskatoon after January 1, 2004. A house built before those dates may have no pit at all, and in Saskatoon a house from 1966 to 2004 likely sends its weeping tile into the sanitary sewer instead — the condition the pump is meant to end.
How long it lasts
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
The federal replacement interval, with the caveat to check the manufacturer's recommendation. The page also says to perform a full pump test once a year.
Ten years is the federal rule of thumb, subject to the manufacturer’s recommendation, and the same page asks for a full pump test once a year. A pump that has run every spring for a decade has worked hard; one in a dry basement may have barely run, and a pump that has not run is not proven. What happens when it stops — and what the backup, the alarm and the insurance do about it — is on sump pump failure and battery backup.
Why this site has nothing to gain from your answer. We are paid a fixed amount for each enquiry, agreed before it is sent. It does not move with the size of the job, with whether you book anything, or with which company you pick. So there is no version of this page where steering you is worth anything to us — which is also why you will not find a company named, rated or recommended anywhere on this site.
Questions people actually ask
How much does a sump pump installation cost?
No Canadian city publishes an installed price and this site does not publish an average. Three Ontario companies publish ranges: $565 to $3,500 for installation (Aquatech, Toronto), about $800 to $2,500 for installation or replacement (Tor Contracting, Simcoe and Dufferin) and $500 to $3,000 for sump pump services (RCC Waterproofing, Mississauga). A new pit through the slab costs more than a pump swapped into an existing pit.
How much does it cost to replace a sump pump in Canada?
One company, JZ Plumbing, publishes $300 to $1,200 for replacing a sump pump with labour included, and $400 to $1,200 in Toronto. Replacing a pump in an existing pit costs far less than a new installation that needs a pit cut through the slab.
Is there a sump pump rebate in Ontario?
Several. Toronto pays up to 80 per cent of the invoiced cost to $2,250; Ottawa $1,500 in an existing pit or $3,000 in a new pit; London up to $4,000 with weeping tile disconnection at 90 per cent; Windsor $2,000 with overflow and floor drain disconnection; Mississauga $6,000 as part of Option 1.
Where should a sump pump discharge?
Away from the house. Federal guidance says at least 1.5 m (5 ft.) from the foundation if possible; Toronto's subsidy requires at least two metres onto a permeable surface; Winnipeg says discharging into the floor drain or onto lanes and streets is illegal.
How long does a sump pump last?
The Government of Canada says sump pumps should generally be replaced every 10 years, subject to the manufacturer's recommendation, and recommends a full pump test once a year.
Do I need a sump pump?
Federal guidance says a sump pump comes in handy in homes in areas with a high water table or with foundation drains that do not drain effectively to the storm sewer. Winnipeg has required sump pits with pumps in new homes since 1990 and Saskatoon since 2004.
Can I install a sump pump myself?
Not if you want a subsidy in Toronto, Mississauga, Windsor or Hamilton, which tie their money to a licensed or City-listed contractor, and not at all in Saskatoon, which says sump pumps must be installed by a licensed plumbing contractor under a plumbing permit. Windsor says work performed by the homeowner is not eligible.
Where to read next
- Sump pump failure and battery backup
- Weeping tile, and disconnecting it
- The backwater valve that goes with it
- Ontario programmes compared
- Basement flooding
Sources cited on this page
- Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps
- City of Toronto, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program
- City of Mississauga, Basement Flooding Prevention Rebate
- Aquatech Waterproofing, published price list
- JZ Plumbing (Ontario), How much does it cost to replace a sump pump in Canada?
- Tor Contracting Inc., published price ranges
- City of Ottawa, Residential Protective Plumbing Program
- City of Hamilton, Protective Plumbing Program
- City of London, Basement Flooding Grant Program
- City of Windsor, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program
- City of Niagara Falls, Weeping Tile Removal Assistance Program
- City of St. Catharines, Basement Flooding
- City of Winnipeg, Sump pit drainage systems
- City of Calgary, Basement flooding and seepage
- City of Saskatoon, Protective Plumbing
Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on September 20, 2026. How we check this.
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