Berkeley, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Berkeley 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 Berkeley house

$27,577a year · $2,298 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,413,900; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$17,337
1.232% of $1,413,900, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$2,389
City street lighting tax ($0.0108 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $13 · City parks, trees and landscaping tax ($0.2783 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $334 · City library services tax ($0.3128 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $375 · City library Measure X (2024) tax ($0.06297 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $76 · City paramedic supplemental tax ($0.0492 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $59 · City emergency services for the severely disabled tax ($0.02339 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $28 · City Measure GG (2008) fire protection tax ($0.07026 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $84 · City Measure FF (2020) fire and wildfire tax ($0.13633 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $164 · City Measure FF (2024) safe streets tax ($0.17842 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $214 · BUSD school tax (Measure H of 2024) ($0.5562 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $667 · BUSD school maintenance (Measure H of 2020) ($0.10969 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $132 · BUSD educator recruitment (Measure E of 2020) ($0.14944 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $179 · City Clean Stormwater Fee (FY 2027 proposed rate for a medium single-family parcel; small $50.57, large $76.46) $63
Electricity and gas$3,883
499.9 kWh a month $2,623 · 31.72 therms $989 · city utility tax $271
Water and sewer$1,664
5 units (CCF) a month on East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD): water $71, sewer $68 a month
Trash$812
32-gal trash, $68 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Berkeley house at the typical market value ($1,413,900) pays about $27,600 a year: $19,730 property tax and charges, $1,660 water and sewer, $810 trash, $3,880 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 20-gal trash cartUp to $196 a year
Your cart costs $68 a month; the smallest costs $51. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: To start, change, or stop trash or composting service, call Customer Service at (510) 981-7270; for recycling, call the Ecology Center at (510) 527-5555.
Low-income property owners: refunds of certain City taxesRefund program
Low-income refunds are available for certain taxes.
How: See the City's Very Low-Income Refund Program page for instructions and forms.
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 cartThe monthly price is set by the size of your trash cart (once-weekly pickup) and includes weekly recycling and compost collection. It is billed on your property tax bill.

Value before exemptionsEnter your assessed value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often well below what the house would sell for. Berkeley's special taxes are charged per square foot of building (about $1.94 a square foot a year in all: $1.13 City and $0.82 school), so the amounts shown assume a 1,200 sq ft house; scale them to your own square footage. The Clean Stormwater Fee shown is for a medium single-family lot ($50.57 small, $76.46 large). Not included: the City's 2018 street light and storm water assessments, county charges that vary by parcel, and the Thousand Oaks Heights underground district assessment.

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 Berkeley 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 48 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 115 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: 1.23% of value; 2025-26 tax year, Alameda County tax rate area 13-000 (City of Berkeley); flat charges are 2026-27
Garbage: City of Berkeley; The City collects trash, recycling and compost; the rate is set by your trash cart size and is billed on the annual property tax bill.
Electricity: Ava Community Energy; Berkeley's residential accounts are automatically enrolled in Ava's Renewable 100 service, except those on CARE, FERA or Medical Baseline rates.
Gas: PG&E; Berkeley is in PG&E's gas service territory.
Schools: Berkeley Unified School District; Berkeley Unified and Peralta Community College bonds are part of the property tax rate, and BUSD levies three school taxes by building square footage.

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 tap 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.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Garbage: the rates on the City's current residential waste rate page (no effective date is given) are monthly for a once-weekly trash cart (20-gallon $51.30, 32-gallon $67.66, 64-gallon $93.60, 96-gallon $112.47, recycling and compost included). The City bills these once a year on the property tax bill, so they are shown as a trash line there and not counted in the tax bill's other flat charges. Hillside fire-zone homes pay an extra fire fuel surcharge.
Water: EBMUD Schedule A from July 1, 2026, monthly column: $28.60 service charge, $8.40 per unit for the first 7 units, $9.74 to 16 units and $11.49 above. We assume Elevation Band 1 (no surcharge); hill homes pay $1.33 or $2.84 more per unit. The page starts at 5 units a month, EBMUD's median single-family use. Sewer: EBMUD wastewater (July 1, 2026) $10.94 + $11.38 + $0.20 = $22.52 a month, plus the City's $7.14 and EBMUD's $1.97 per unit of water ($9.11 combined). The City's rate has a bi-monthly cap of $185.64 (13 units a month); EBMUD's own flow charge stops at 9 units, which the page does not model separately. The City's sewer rates shown are those effective July 1, 2019, the latest on the City's sewer page; confirm with Public Works, (510) 981-6300.
Property tax: Alameda County's 2025-26 rates for tax rate area 13-000 (City of Berkeley): 1% countywide tax plus County GO bond 0.0084%, Berkeley Unified bonds 0.1154%, Peralta bonds 0.0432%, BART 0.0152%, East Bay Regional Park 0.0011% and City of Berkeley bonds 0.049% (matches the City's 2026-27 total), 1.2323% in all, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. Tax rate areas 13-001 to 13-005 carry the same rates.
Flat charges: Berkeley's City and Berkeley Unified special taxes are charged per square foot of building on the tax bill. The City's 2026-27 residential rates ($0.01080 lighting, $0.27830 parks, $0.31280 library, $0.06297 Measure X, $0.04920 paramedic, $0.02339 disabled services, $0.07026 Measure GG, $0.13633 Measure FF 2020, $0.17842 Measure FF 2024) and the three school taxes ($0.55620, $0.10969, $0.14944) are multiplied by an assumed 1,200 sq ft house, about $2,325 a year in all. The City's 2018 Clean Stormwater Fee is added at its proposed FY 2027 medium single-family parcel rate of $63.22 (small $50.57, large $76.46; parcels with more than one single-family home pay 22% more), for $2,389 in all. Berkeley's tax bill also carries county charges and the City's 2018 street light and storm water assessments, which are not included.
The starting home value is the Census ACS 2020-2024 median market value of owner-occupied homes ($1,413,900); under Prop 13 an owner who bought years ago has a lower assessed value and pays much less. Enter the assessed value from your tax bill.
Electricity: PG&E schedule E-1 (June 1, 2026) Tier 1 $0.32561 and Tier 2 $0.40702 per kWh plus Ava's Renewable 100 premium of 1.75 cents per kWh, a $0.79343 daily base services charge, Tier 1 sized as territory T's baseline weighted 4 summer and 8 winter months, and the City's 7.5% utility users tax. Gas: PG&E G-1 (Oct. 1, 2026) plus the public purpose surcharge, baseline territory T, weighted 7 summer, 3 off-peak and 2 on-peak months. Typical use is PG&E's 2024 residential average (EIA) and California's 2024 residential gas average. Insurance is the 2022 California average homeowners premium (NAIC via the Insurance Information Institute) until you enter your own.
Modelling: PG&E delivers the electricity and bills (not stated by the quoted sources); sewer: EBMUD wastewater (July 1, 2026) strength $11.38, flow $1.97/unit up to 9 units, $0.20 pollution-prevention fee; Public Works (510) 981-6300 for City sewer rate questions.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Berkeley compares

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

Per year	Berkeley	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.23%	1.13%	higher than 94 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$847	$955	lower than 68 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$817	$584	higher than 57 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$812	$438	higher than 98 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,883	$3,556	higher than 94 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	$27,577	$15,240	higher than 104 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: Berkeley's property tax rate is 1.23%, higher than 94 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 Berkeley is 1.23%, higher than 94 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $817 a year, higher than 57 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 $817 a year, higher than 57 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $812 a year for the standard cart, higher than 98 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 $812 a year for the standard cart, higher than 98 of the other 101 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,883 a year, higher than 94 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 $3,883 a year for a typical house, higher than 94 of the other 109 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 Berkeley house costs

What is the property tax rate in Berkeley?

About 1.23% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, Alameda County tax rate area 13-000 (City of Berkeley); flat charges are 2026-27), plus flat charges on the same bill (City street lighting tax ($0.0108 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $13, City parks, trees and landscaping tax ($0.2783 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $334, City library services tax ($0.3128 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $375, City library Measure X (2024) tax ($0.06297 per sq ft of building, 1,200 sq ft assumed) $76).

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

About $8,464 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $2,389 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Berkeley?

About $139 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 Berkeley?

$51 to $112 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 Berkeley?

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 Berkeley?

Low-income property owners: refunds of certain City taxes: Low-income refunds are available for certain taxes. See the City's Very Low-Income Refund Program page for instructions and forms.

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

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