A user fee is a charge paid directly by individuals or businesses for specific municipal services they use, as opposed to services funded through general taxation. User fees include recreation program registration, swimming pool admission, facility rentals, parking fees, transit fares, building permit fees, and utility charges. User fees connect payment to service consumption, providing revenue from those who benefit while potentially reducing tax burden on non-users. Fee-setting considers cost recovery objectives, ability to pay (through subsidy programs for low-income residents), and demand management (using prices to influence behaviour). Critics argue user fees can create barriers to service access. User fee structures balance multiple objectives: revenue, accessibility, equity, and administrative simplicity.