Moving, Buying, or Selling a Property

Change of Mailing Address

If you still own your property in Canmore but have changed your mailing address please complete a Change of Property Owner’s Mailing Address form. Under the Municipal Government Act the tax bill, once mailed, is considered to have been received within seven days. Utility bills will be sent to the owner's mailing address as recorded on the title for the property unless written notification is received to change your mailing address.

If mail sent by the Town of Canmore Tax or Utilities Department is returned by the Post Office as undeliverable, we will make a reasonable effort to locate the owner(s). If our efforts are unsuccessful a notation will be made in our database and the returned mail items will be discarded.

It is the responsibility of the property owner to change their mailing address with provincial Land Titles.

Purchasing a Property

Purchasers (and their lawyers or agents) are responsible to determine the current taxes due on the property being purchased as well as the tax due date and ensure that current balances owing are paid on time in order to avoid late payment penalties.
 
Caution: Not all residential properties are taxed at the same rate. It is in your best interest to ascertain the land use designation and potential tax implications before you buy.
 
Refunds due to over-payment of property taxes (where the previous owner and the new owner have both paid the taxes) must be requested in writing and are subject to a processing fee per the Master Fee Schedule.
 
The Town of Canmore updates their records for both the utility and property tax accounts based on the information sent from Alberta Land Titles twice per month. Your name(s) will be automatically added to the utility billing account for the property at the time that we update the tax roll account. Utility bills will be sent to the owner's mailing address as recorded on the title for the property. If your mailing address should be different than as registered please contact us in writing or download a fillable Change of Mailing Address.

If you would like to receive your utility bills by email, visit e-Billing and Online Services Enrollment to enroll.

Property Tax and Utility Payment Options

Selling a Property

When selling a property within the Town of Canmore, there are some key steps that you or your lawyer need to complete to ensure that your property tax and utility accounts are managed correctly.  The Town of Canmore updates their records for both the utility and property tax accounts based on the information sent from Alberta Land Titles twice per month however this information will not be received until several weeks after the sale date. Your name(s) will be automatically removed from the property tax account at the time that we update our records. 

The pre-authorized payment plans (TIPP & PUPP) are NOT transferable. If you are moving to another property within Canmore you must re-apply for TIPP and PUPP for each new property address.  

If you are selling your property, it is required that you or your lawyer request a final utility bill to the date-of-sale in order to close your account. Complete the online Request for Final Utility Bill. Your utility account will be closed after the final bill is paid in full

Why do I need to order a final utility bill?

When a property is sold, the seller's bi-monthly utility (water, sewer, garbage) account must be calculated to the date-of-sale. Final utility bills may be requested by either the seller or a legal representative and are payable upon receipt. Payment of the final utility bill is the responsibility of the seller or the seller's legal representative.

In the absence of a request for termination of an account, the Town of Canmore shall continue to bill and collect all water supply charges outstanding against the account from the Customer as per Utility Bylaw 39-2003.

Utility Amounts on Tax Certificate: Tax certificates generated prior to receiving this final bill will NOT indicate the total outstanding utility balance.

The Town of Canmore Municipal Utility account is the liability of the Property Tax account. Unpaid final utility accounts are transferable to the property tax accounts as per Utility Bylaw 39-2003.

*Property Information Form*

If you are currently enrolled in the Tax Instalment Payment Plan (TIPP) or the Pre-authorized Utility Payment Plan (PUPP) for the property that you are selling, you (or your lawyer) must notify the Town of Canmore Tax Department and the Utility Department by submitting a TIPP Cancellation or PUPP Cancellation request to terminate the plan. 

  • TIPP cancellations must be received by the 5th day of the month in which you would like to cancel.
  • PUPP cancellations must be received by the 18th of the month in which you would like to cancel.

The pre-authorized payment plans (TIPP & PUPP) are NOT transferable. If you are moving to another property within Canmore you must re-apply for TIPP and PUPP for each new property address.  

If you pay by these methods delete the utility and tax accounts from your banking setup. If you have purchased new property in Canmore, the tax and utility account numbers will change according to each property address.