Atwater, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Atwater house pays

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

Sent only to free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Atwater house

$10,755a year · $896 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $363,400; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Atwater house at the typical market value ($363,400) pays about $10,800 a year: $3,810 property tax and charges, $1,510 water and sewer, $580 trash, $3,360 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 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 64-gal trash cart cartUp to $22 a year
Your cart costs $49 a month; the smallest costs $47. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call Mid Valley Disposal at (209) 270-5100 for special service requests. The City's fee schedule lists a $79 cart exchange fee.
Income-qualified households: PG&E CARE or FERA30–35% off electricity
CARE takes 30–35% off electricity for income-qualified households; FERA takes 18% off for incomes slightly above the CARE limit.
How: Apply with PG&E; application forms are also available through community agencies.
100% disabled veterans: property tax exemption$100,000+ off assessed value
The basic Disabled Veterans' Exemption, also called the $100,000 exemption, is compounded annually by an inflation factor; a larger low-income exemption (the $150,000 exemption) is for claimants under a household income limit.
How: File form BOE-261-G, Claim for Disabled Veterans' Property Tax Exemption, with the county assessor.
Seniors, blind or disabled: property tax postponementDefer property taxes
The Merced County Tax Collector administers the Senior Citizen Postponement Program for seniors, blind and disabled people.
How: Contact the Merced County Treasurer-Tax Collector.
Missed the homeowners' exemption deadline? File by December 1080% of the exemption
Homeowners who miss the February 15 filing deadline have until December 10 to file for an 80% exemption.
How: File the claim with the Merced County Assessor.
Large-item pickup: $63 for up to two items$63 a pickup
A residential large-item pickup costs $63 a pickup and includes up to two items.
How: Call Mid Valley Disposal at (209) 270-5100 for special service requests.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartSingle-family service from Mid Valley Disposal covers garbage, recycling and organics collection; the monthly rate is set by the size of the trash cart. The City bills single-family homes; homes not on City waste and sewer service are billed by Mid Valley Disposal.

Value before exemptionsHomes in some subdivisions also pay a City of Atwater lighting and drainage or landscape maintenance assessment on the tax bill; the amount depends on the district.

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, thousands of gallons a month

On your water bill. A typical house uses 5,000–8,000 gallons.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your PG&E bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 1in 9 daysFirst property tax installment due. Delinquent after Dec 10, then a 10% penalty.
Nov 30in 38 daysLast day to file an appeal of the value on the annual tax roll (the filing window runs July 2 to November 30).
Feb 1in 101 daysSecond installment due. Delinquent after April 10, then a 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 115 daysLast day to file the homeowners' exemption for the full year.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Atwater; City of Atwater: for fiscal year ending 2024, a monthly service charge of $57.25 for a 3/4-inch or smaller meter ($65.40 for a 1-inch meter), plus $2.04 per 1,000 gallons above a 19,000-gallon monthly minimum (City 2024 rate study)
Property tax: 1.07% of value; 2026–27 tax year, Merced County (tax rate area 001-001)
Garbage: Mid Valley Disposal (City contract); Garbage, recycling and organics collection for single-family homes; the City of Atwater bills single-family homes for it, except homes not on City waste and sewer service, which Mid Valley Disposal bills.
Sewer: City of Atwater; Residential sewer is $68.72 a month per dwelling unit (City 2024 rate study).
Electricity: PG&E or MID; Electric power in Atwater comes from PG&E or Merced Irrigation District (MID). PG&E's tiered residential plan is E-1; Merced County is baseline territory R. The City says both serve homes inside city limits; MID customers pay different rates, so the PG&E figures here may not apply to them.
Gas: PG&E; Residential gas service on schedule G-1.
Schools: Atwater Elementary / Merced Union High; Atwater Elementary, Merced Union High and Merced College bonds are part of the property tax rate.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Groundwater from City wells 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20-A and 21, all within city limits (2025 report).
Hardness: Hardness averaged 87 ppm (range 39 to 140) in June 2025 testing.
Lead: 32 home tap samples were tested for lead in September 2025; none exceeded the 15 ppb action level. The City's service line inventory found no lead service lines.
Violations: The 2025 report lists no violations.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Garbage: the City's monthly residential rates adopted August 14, 2023 (Resolution 3424-23) run in five yearly steps labeled 2024 to 2028. The first step started September 1, 2023 and each later step starts July 1 (2025 to 2028), so the 2026 column applies from July 1, 2026: $48.65 for a 96-gallon trash cart and $46.78 for a 64-gallon cart.
Water and sewer: Atwater's last adopted water and sewer rate schedule ran through fiscal year 2023. A new rate plan was taken off the June 24, 2024 council agenda and, as far as we found, never adopted; in August 2026 the City started a new rate study aiming at new rates from July 1, 2027. These are the last rates we could find, not a confirmed 2026 schedule (call City Public Works at (209) 357-6370 to check). We use the rates its 2024 study listed as current: water $57.25 a month for a 3/4-inch meter, covering the first 19,000 gallons, then $2.04 per 1,000 gallons; sewer $68.72 a month per home. The budget's flat water and sewer revenue (FY 2024-25 to FY 2026-27) fits unchanged rates. The water starting use is the rate study's median single-family customer, 10,000 gallons (13.37 CCF) a month, which stays inside the 19,000-gallon minimum.
Property tax: Merced County 2026-27 rates for tax rate area 001-001, the City of Atwater area with the most parcels (6,405 secured parcels; Atwater Elementary): 1% countywide plus 0.0455% Atwater Elementary bonds, 0.0114% Merced Union High bonds and 0.0115% Merced College bonds, 1.0684% in all, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. One small City area (TRA 001-000) is in Merced City School District instead.
Flat charges: we found no flat charge that every Atwater tax bill carries. Some subdivisions are in City lighting and drainage or landscape maintenance assessment districts, whose per-parcel amounts vary and are not included.
The starting home value is the Census ACS 2020-2024 median market value; under Prop 13 an owner who bought years ago has a lower assessed value and pays less.
Energy is a year-round estimate on PG&E's standard tiered plans: per-day charges and baselines are turned into monthly amounts as 365 days / 12 months, and the baseline is weighted by season (electric: 4 summer and 8 winter months; gas: 7 summer, 3 off-peak and 2 on-peak months). Typical use is PG&E's 2024 residential average (EIA, about 500 kWh a month) and California's 2024 residential gas average (EIA, about 32 therms a month). Homes served by Merced Irrigation District pay MID's rates instead. Insurance is the 2022 California average homeowners premium (NAIC via the Insurance Information Institute) until you enter your own.
Water and sewer figures are from the 2024 rate study, the latest we found; not a confirmed 2026 schedule. City Public Works (209) 357-6370 can confirm.
Tax is modelled on assessed value under Proposition 13; the City 2024 study also lists proposed July 2024 water rates of $59.26 / $67.69 not used here.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Atwater compares

A typical Atwater house against the 110 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Atwater	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.07%	1.13%	lower than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$687	$955	lower than 94 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$825	$584	higher than 59 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$584	$438	higher than 82 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,360	$3,556	lower than 84 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 108 other California cities we cover
Total	$10,755	$15,240	lower than 106 of the other 109 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: Atwater's property tax rate is 1.07%, lower than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Atwater is 1.07%, lower than 98 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $687 a year at typical use, lower than 94 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $687 a year at typical use, lower than 94 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $825 a year, higher than 59 of the other 76 California cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $825 a year, higher than 59 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

4. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $584 a year for the standard cart, higher than 82 of the other 101 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 $584 a year for the standard cart, higher than 82 of the other 101 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

5. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,360 a year, lower than 84 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,360 a year for a typical house, lower than 84 of the other 109 California cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Atwater house costs

What is the property tax rate in Atwater?

About 1.07% of the value before exemptions a year (2026–27 tax year, Merced County (tax rate area 001-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $5,267 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption.

How much is the water bill in Atwater?

About $126 a month for water and sewer at typical use (10,000 gallons a month) on City of Atwater.

How much does trash pickup cost in Atwater?

$47 to $49 a month, depending on the trash cart size (64-gal trash cart, 96-gal trash cart).

When is property tax due in Atwater?

Nov 1: First property tax installment due. Delinquent after Dec 10, then a 10% penalty. Feb 1: Second installment due. Delinquent after April 10, then a 10% penalty.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Atwater?

Yes. Seniors, blind or disabled: property tax postponement: The Merced County Tax Collector administers the Senior Citizen Postponement Program for seniors, blind and disabled people.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Atwater?

Income-qualified households: PG&E CARE or FERA: CARE takes 30–35% off electricity for income-qualified households; FERA takes 18% off for incomes slightly above the CARE limit. Apply with PG&E; application forms are also available through community agencies.

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

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