Albany, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Albany home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Albany house

$25,474a year · $2,123 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,202,200; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$16,220
1.357% of $1,202,200, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$1,752
City library services tax, Measure N (per parcel) $69 · City supplemental library tax, Measure G of 2006 (per parcel) $28 · City street paving and storm drain tax, Measure F of 2006 (per parcel) $168 · City parks and open space tax, Measure M of 2018 (per parcel) $78 · City clean storm water (NPDES) service charge (per parcel) $42 · City sewer service charge (per parcel) $638 · Albany Unified Measure J school tax ($555 per residential unit, or $0.11 per sq ft of land if greater) $555 · EBMUD Wet Weather Facilities Charge (wastewater, by lot size) $173
Electricity and gas$3,955
499.9 kWh a month $2,623 · 31.72 therms $989 · city utility tax $343
Water and sewer$1,236
5 units (CCF) a month on East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD): water $71, sewer $32 a month
Trash$819
32-gal trash, $68 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

Shopping for home insurance?

Insurers charge very different prices for the same house and coverage. California's free premium survey lists each insurer's price.

Compare insurers' prices

A Albany house at the typical market value ($1,202,200) costs about $25,500 a year: $17,970 property tax and charges, $1,240 water and sewer, $820 trash, $3,960 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 20-gal trash cartUp to $88 a year
Your cart costs $68 a month; the smallest costs $61. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Contact Waste Management by phone at 510-613-8710, or email csnorthbay@wm.com.
Low-income households: Waste Management discount25% off trash
Households enrolled in PG&E's CARE program get a 25% low-income discount on residential trash rates (for example $15.24 off the 20-gallon cart).
How: Send Waste Management a recent PG&E invoice showing CARE enrollment; call 510-613-8710.
Low-income households: EBMUD Customer Assistance Program50% off water service charge
Eligible single-family customers can get 50% off the standard bimonthly water service charge and 50% off home water use (up to 1,050 gallons per person a month), plus 35% off EBMUD wastewater charges. A household of 1-2 qualifies with income of $67,900 or less. Enrollment lasts up to two years.
How: Apply online through EBMUD's CAP application, or pick one up at EBMUD's Customer Information Desk, 375 11th St., Oakland.
Income-qualified households: PG&E CARE on gas20% off gas
CARE gives income-qualified customers a 20% discount on their natural gas bill.
How: Contact PG&E for a CARE application.
EBMUD lawn conversion rebateUp to $2.00 per sq. ft.
EBMUD pays up to $2.00 per square foot to convert a lawn to a water-wise garden; landscape rebates for a home are capped at $2,000 in any 24-month period.
How: Apply through EBMUD's rebates page.
100% disabled veterans: property tax exemption$175,298 off assessed value (2025-26)
The Disabled Veterans' Exemption reduces property tax on the principal residence of veterans rated 100% disabled because of a service-connected injury or disease (or paid at the 100% rate for unemployability). For the 2025-2026 assessment year the basic exemption amount is $175,298; a larger low-income exemption also exists.
How: See the Alameda County Assessor's exemptions page.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartMonthly bundle rate effective May 1, 2026; each trash cart includes one recycling cart and one organics cart.

Value before exemptionsEnter your assessed value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often well below sale value. The EMS tax and Albany Unified Measure G are per square foot of building (1,500 sq ft assumed), the sidewalks tax per square foot of lot (4,000 sq ft assumed); scale to your own sizes. Measure J is the greater of $555 or $0.11 per square foot of land. Not included: county charges that vary by parcel, and the City's 7.5% utility users' tax on water. Also on the tax bill and not included because they depend on building or lot size: the City's EMS tax ($0.0807 per sq ft), sidewalks tax ($0.0175 per lot sq ft) and Albany Unified Measure G ($0.60 per building sq ft in 2024-25, up 3% a year). The EBMUD Wet Weather Facilities Charge is $173.48 a year for lots up to 5,000 sq ft (assumed) and $270.94 for lots of 5,001-10,000 sq ft.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, California statewide average, NAIC data for 2022 as published by the Insurance Information Institute (California figures from the California Department of Insurance).

Earthquake insurance, a yearSeparate from home insurance. Most owners don't have it.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical Albany house uses about 5.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Ava Community Energy (Renewable 100) bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 36 daysLast day to pay the first installment of secured property taxes without penalty; also the deadline for late homeowners' and veterans' exemption claims.
Feb 15in 103 daysDeadline to file the homeowners', veterans' and disabled veterans' exemption claims.
Apr 10Last day to pay the second installment of secured property taxes without penalty.
Jul 2 – Sep 15Window to file an assessment appeal with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Who serves this house

Water: East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD); EBMUD rates effective July 1, 2026: a $28.60 monthly service charge for a 5/8 or 3/4 inch meter ($57.20 on a bimonthly bill) plus $8.40 per unit (CCF) for the first 7 units a month, $9.74 from 7 to 16 units and $11.49 above 16 units. Homes in Elevation Bands 2 and 3 pay an elevation surcharge of $1.33 or $2.84 per unit
Property tax: 1.36% of value; 2025-26 tax year, Alameda County tax rate area 22 (City of Albany); flat charges are 2026-27
Electricity: Ava Community Energy; Albany's residential accounts are automatically enrolled in Ava's Renewable 100 service.
Gas: PG&E; Albany is in PG&E's gas service territory.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: EBMUD's main supply is snow and rain in the Mokelumne River watershed in the Sierra Nevada, carried 90 miles by aqueduct to East Bay treatment plants and reservoirs.
Lead: EBMUD says its treatment plants supply no lead; in its sampling, 0 of 53 sites were above the lead action level.
PFAS: EBMUD has finished its initial PFAS monitoring under the new rules, and all results so far have met the standards.

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Valley home costs Corcoran home costs Oroville home costs Chowchilla home costs Emeryville home costs

How these numbers are made

Garbage: Waste Management of Alameda County's Albany rate sheet effective May 1, 2026 (monthly bundle rates with recycling and organics carts included).
Water: EBMUD Schedule A from July 1, 2026, monthly column; Elevation Band 1 (no surcharge) assumed. The page starts at 5 units a month, EBMUD's median single-family use. Sewer on the water bill: EBMUD wastewater $10.94 + $11.38 + $0.20 = $22.52 a month plus $1.97 per unit up to 9 units. The City's own sewer charge ($638.17 a year, 2026-27) is on the property tax bill.
Property tax: Alameda County 2025-26 rates for tax rate area 22 (City of Albany), 1.3571% in all, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption.
Flat charges 2026-27: City Resolution 2026-39 applied per-parcel rates plus Albany Unified Measure J ($555). Per-square-foot taxes (EMS, sidewalks, Measure G) are not in the total.
The starting value is the Census ACS 2020-2024 median market value ($1,202,200); under Prop 13 an owner who bought years ago pays much less. Enter your assessed value.
Electricity: PG&E E-1 (June 1, 2026) plus Ava Renewable 100 premium of 1.75 cents per kWh, daily base charge, baseline weighted 4 summer and 8 winter months, and the City's 9.5% utility users' tax on gas and electric. Gas: PG&E G-1 (Oct. 1, 2026) plus surcharge, baseline territory T. Insurance is the 2022 California average (NAIC via III). PG&E delivers and bills (not stated by the quoted sources); the 7.5% utility users' tax on water is not modelled.
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PG&E E-1 (effective June 1, 2026) bundled rates $0.32561 Tier 1 and $0.40702 Tier 2; Income Tier 3 base services charge $0.79343 a day; Ava rates are these plus 1.75 cents.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Albany compares

A typical Albany house against the 285 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Albany	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.36%	1.13%	higher than 278 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$847	$927	lower than 161 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$388	$596	lower than 144 of the other 196 California cities we cover
Trash	$819	$452	higher than 261 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,955	$3,421	higher than 260 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	lower than 1 of the other 272 California cities we cover
Total	$25,474	$14,432	higher than 260 of the other 284 California cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Albany's property tax rate is 1.36%, higher than 278 of the other 284 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Albany is 1.36%, higher than 278 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $819 a year for the standard cart, higher than 261 of the other 267 California cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $819 a year for the standard cart, higher than 261 of the other 267 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,955 a year, higher than 260 of the other 284 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,955 a year for a typical house, higher than 260 of the other 284 California cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Albany house costs

What is the property tax rate in Albany?

About 1.36% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, Alameda County tax rate area 22 (City of Albany); flat charges are 2026-27), plus flat charges on the same bill (City library services tax, Measure N (per parcel) $69, City supplemental library tax, Measure G of 2006 (per parcel) $28, City street paving and storm drain tax, Measure F of 2006 (per parcel) $168, City parks and open space tax, Measure M of 2018 (per parcel) $78).

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Albany?

About $8,442 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $1,752 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Albany?

About $103 a month for water and sewer at typical use (5 units, or 3,740 gallons a month) on East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).

How much does trash pickup cost in Albany?

$61 to $168 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20-gal trash, 32-gal trash, 64-gal trash, 96-gal trash).

When is property tax due in Albany?

Dec 10: Last day to pay the first installment of secured property taxes without penalty; also the deadline for late homeowners' and veterans' exemption claims. Apr 10: Last day to pay the second installment of secured property taxes without penalty.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Albany?

Low-income households: Waste Management discount: Households enrolled in PG&E's CARE program get a 25% low-income discount on residential trash rates (for example $15.24 off the 20-gallon cart). Send Waste Management a recent PG&E invoice showing CARE enrollment; call 510-613-8710.

How much does a house in Albany cost to run each year?

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