Sanitation charges in Johannesburg: the stand-size bands
For a property the City classes as "private dwelling domestic", the sanitation charge doesn't depend on how much water you use. It is a fixed monthly amount set by the size of your stand (erf). If the City has your stand size wrong, puts you in the wrong band or bills you under the wrong tariff category, you pay the wrong amount every month. This guide shows the bands and how to check yours.
General information, not legal advice.
The bands for 2026/27
The City's 2026/27 tariff brochure lists sanitation for "private dwelling domestic" properties by erf size, in rand per erf per month:
| Stand size | 2026/27 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to and including 300 m² | R397.85 | R358.42 |
| Larger than 300 m² to 1,000 m² | R774.48 | R697.73 |
| Larger than 1,000 m² to 2,000 m² | R1,171.62 | R1,055.51 |
| Larger than 2,000 m² | R1,688.12 | R1,520.83 |
The 2025/26 figures are from the City's 2025/26 consolidated tariffs. The brochure prints an increase of 11.0% for each band.
The brochure doesn't say whether these amounts include VAT, so check whether your bill adds VAT as a separate line. It doesn't print a start date for the new amounts either. Municipal financial years run from 1 July, so a bill whose period crosses 1 July may mix the two years' amounts.
How to check yours
- Check the tariff category. The table is for properties billed as private dwelling domestic. The brochure prices sanitation for other classes, such as institutional and industrial or commercial properties, per kilolitre instead. If your sanitation line is charged per kilolitre, or you're not sure which category applies, ask the City which tariff category your account is on.
- Find your stand size. Your title deed gives the stand's extent in square metres. The City's own record can differ, and that difference is what you're checking.
- Find the band. A stand of exactly 300 m² is in the first band; anything larger than 300 m², even by a fraction, is in the second.
- Compare with your bill. The sanitation line should match the band amount, allowing for VAT if your bill adds it.
Worked example
A house on a 600 m² stand falls in the "larger than 300 m² to 1,000 m²" band, so sanitation is R774.48 a month in 2026/27. If the bill charges R1,171.62, the band for 1,000 to 2,000 m² stands, that is R397.14 a month too much before any VAT, or R4,765.68 over a year.
What this guide doesn't cover
- Sectional-title units and flats. The brochure doesn't say how sectional-title units and flats are charged, so this table may not apply. Ask the City which tariff category your account is on.
- Institutional, industrial and commercial properties. The brochure prices their sanitation per kilolitre.
If the band is wrong
Query it and get a reference number, with a copy of the page of your title deed that shows the extent. See how to dispute a Joburg bill. If the City has your stand size wrong in its records, ask it to correct the record as well as the charges.
Keep paying while the query is open. Under clause 16.3 of the City's Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy, a query "must be accompanied by payment of, at least, the total amount outstanding on the account", and where only part of the account is disputed, payment "shall be based on average monthly previous charges before the query/dispute arises". The two sentences don't fit together, so ask the City in writing what amount it expects.