Bell Gardens, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Bell Gardens 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 Bell Gardens house

$10,084a year · $840 a month

Starts at $289,940 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$3,204
1.132% of $289,940, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$331
Sewer $232 · LA County Measure W Safe Clean Water tax (median single-family parcel) $80 · Greater LA County Vector Control assessment $19
Electricity and gas$3,505
523 kWh a month $2,637 · 35 therms $869
Water$1,098
9 units (CCF) a month on Golden State Water (Bell-Bell Gardens system): water $92 a month
Trash$452
Standard residential service, $38 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A typical Bell Gardens house pays about $10,100 a year: $3,540 property tax and charges, $1,100 water, $450 trash, $3,510 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:

Low-income seniors over 62: Safe, Clean Water parcel tax exemptionNo Safe, Clean Water tax
Owners over 62 who live in the home and head a low-income household can apply for an exemption from the Safe, Clean Water Program special parcel tax; the FY 2027-28 limit is $106,600 for a 2-person household.
How: Submit the claim form to the Safe, Clean Water Program by May 1 each year; call 833-275-7297.
SoCalGas CARE discount20% off the gas bill
Through the CARE program, SoCalGas offers a 20-percent discount to eligible customers on their monthly natural gas bill.
How: SoCalGas residential customers: 877-238-0092.
Low income: smaller SCE Base Services ChargeUp to $18.15 a month less
SCE's Base Services Charge is $6.00 a month for CARE-enrolled customers and $12.08 for FERA-enrolled customers, instead of $24.15.
How: Households that qualify can enroll in SCE's CARE or FERA program.

Adjust to match your bills

What you know

Value before exemptionsUnder Prop 13 your assessed value starts at your purchase price and can rise at most 2% a year, so it is often far below market: use the assessed value on your tax bill. These rates are for the Montebello Unified part of the city (most homes); other school districts mean different bond rates.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, NAIC data via 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 house uses 7–12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Southern California Edison bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30, 2026in 38 daysLast day to file a 2026 regular assessment appeal in LA County (filing runs July 2 to November 30).
Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) becomes delinquent at close of business Dec 10: 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 115 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for the year.
Apr 10Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is late after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $10.

Who serves this house

Water: Golden State Water (Bell-Bell Gardens system); Golden State Water Company, Metropolitan District residential rates (Schedule ME-1-R, effective January 1, 2026; its territory includes portions of Bell Gardens): a monthly service charge by meter size plus three tiers per 100 cubic feet, a $0.242 per Ccf CAP surcharge, and a 0.7% surcharge on all bills.
Property tax: 1.13% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County
Garbage: Athens Services; Athens Services is the City's residential solid waste contractor; the fee is collected on the property tax roll.
Sewer: LA County Sanitation District No. 2; County Sanitation District No. 2 encompasses all or portions of Bell Gardens; its sewer service charge is collected on the property tax roll.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; Southern California Edison is the electric company for the city.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company serves natural gas in Bell Gardens.
Schools: Montebello Unified; Montebello Unified bonds are on the 2026-27 LA County tax rate resolution.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Water delivered in the Bell-Bell Gardens System is a blend of treated groundwater and imported water, per the 2025 report.
Hardness: Hardness averaged 210 mg/L (12 grains per gallon) in 2025 testing, with a range of 137-280 mg/L.
Lead: In 2025 tap sampling the lead 90th-percentile result was not detected; none of the 30 samples exceeded the action level.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Individual bills are confidential in California, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
Water: Golden State Water serves about two-thirds of Bell Gardens and the page starts on its Bell-Bell Gardens system, using its Metropolitan District residential schedule ME-1-R effective January 1, 2026 ($37.81 a month for a 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter and $5.657, $6.505 and $7.481 per Ccf for the first 9, next 12 and over 21 Ccf a month, each plus the $0.242 per Ccf CAP surcharge, all times 1.007 for the 0.7% fee). The northern third of the city is on the City-owned system billed by Liberty Utilities; we could not find its current rates, so it is not modelled. Golden State balancing-account charges printed in the schedule (about $4.50 a month at 10 Ccf) are not included.
Trash: $37.69 a month ($452.28 a year including the franchise fee), the residential rate effective September 1, 2022 and collected on the property tax roll; later cost-of-living adjustments were not found, so the current charge is probably higher. It is counted once, as the garbage line, not in the tax-bill flat charges.
Sewer: Los Angeles County Sanitation District No. 2 charges $232 a year for a single-family home (one sewage unit) on the property tax roll for 2026-27. We found no separate City of Bell Gardens sewer charge.
Property tax: 1% plus the 2026-27 Montebello Unified and Los Angeles Community College District bond rates and the Metropolitan Water District 0.0085%, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, applied to the value you enter. The starting value is the median 2026 roll value of Bell Gardens single-family parcels; long-held homes are often assessed far below market. The Metropolitan Water District standby charge was left out because we could not source that it applies to Bell Gardens parcels.
Electricity and gas use the same SCE and SoCalGas rates as neighbouring Los Angeles County cities.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Bell Gardens house costs

What is the property tax rate in Bell Gardens?

About 1.13% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $232, LA County Measure W Safe Clean Water tax (median single-family parcel) $80, Greater LA County Vector Control assessment $19).

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

About $5,915 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $331 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Bell Gardens?

About $92 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Golden State Water (Bell-Bell Gardens system).

How much does trash pickup cost in Bell Gardens?

$38 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Bell Gardens?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) becomes delinquent at close of business Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is late after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $10.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Bell Gardens?

Yes. Low-income seniors over 62: Safe, Clean Water parcel tax exemption: Owners over 62 who live in the home and head a low-income household can apply for an exemption from the Safe, Clean Water Program special parcel tax; the FY 2027-28 limit is $106,600 for a 2-person household.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Bell Gardens?

Low-income seniors over 62: Safe, Clean Water parcel tax exemption: Owners over 62 who live in the home and head a low-income household can apply for an exemption from the Safe, Clean Water Program special parcel tax; the FY 2027-28 limit is $106,600 for a 2-person household. Submit the claim form to the Safe, Clean Water Program by May 1 each year; call 833-275-7297.

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

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