Carpinteria, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Carpinteria 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 Carpinteria house

$18,398a year · $1,533 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,043,100; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

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 Carpinteria house at the typical market value ($1,043,100) costs about $18,400 a year: $11,690 property tax and charges, $1,670 water, $480 trash, $3,070 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 29, 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 32-gallon trash cart (minimum service) cartUp to $41 a year
Your cart costs $40 a month; the smallest costs $37. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: For residential pricing and billing questions, to start or stop residential service, and for barrel exchanges and size changes, call 805-647-1414.
Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE20% off the gas bill
You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through CARE if someone in your household receives public assistance such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or SSI, or if household income is under the program's limit.
How: Apply online with SoCalGas at socalgas.com; no additional documentation is required.
Homeowners' exemption$7,000 off taxable value
California reduces the taxable value of a qualifying owner-occupied home by $7,000.
How: File the claim with the County Assessor.
Income-qualified: SCE CARE or FERADiscounted Base Services Charge
Some customers enrolled in income-qualified programs like CARE or FERA receive a discount on SCE's Base Services Charge.
How: Customers enrolled in CARE or FERA receive a discount.
Income-qualified: water bill assistanceBill assistance
The Carpinteria Valley Water District offers bill assistance to qualified low-income customers and payment plans.
How: Call the District at (805) 684-2816.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartMaximum monthly rates in effect from May 1, 2025; includes a 96-gallon recycling cart and 96-gallon organics cart.

Value before exemptionsUnder Prop 13 a home is reassessed to market value only on a change of ownership or new construction, so the assessed value on your tax bill is often well below market: use the value on your bill.

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 Carpinteria house uses about 7.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) with Southern California Edison delivery bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 35 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 10% penalty.
Feb 15in 102 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) becomes delinquent Apr 10: 10% penalty if unpaid by then.

Who serves this house

Water: Carpinteria Valley Water District; Rates and charges become effective on July 1 of each fiscal year; all charges are monthly unless otherwise noted.
Property tax: 1.05% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Santa Barbara County (tax rate area 005-001)
Garbage: E.J. Harrison & Sons; The City adopted the most recent Franchise Agreement with E.J. Harrison and Sons, Inc. for regular solid waste handling services in March of 2024.
Sewer: Carpinteria Sanitary District; An annual Sewer Service Charge (SSC) is placed on your Santa Barbara County property tax statement.
Electricity: Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) with Southern California Edison delivery; The 3CE comparison covers the SCE service area (Carpinteria, Goleta, and southern Unincorporated Santa Barbara County).

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Median use: The median single-family residential bill is 7 HCF per month and the average is 11 HCF.
Capital charge: The Capital Improvement Program charge is based on 5-year average monthly water use, with a minimum of 4 HCF and a maximum of 250 HCF per month per unit.

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses the 2026-27 Santa Barbara County rate book for tax rate area 005-001 (City of Carpinteria): 1% plus Carpinteria Unified and Santa Barbara City College bonds totaling 0.04597%; every City of Carpinteria tax rate area in the book shows the same total of 1.04597.
The starting value is the Census median value of owner-occupied homes ($1,043,100); Prop 13 assessed values are usually lower.
Water: monthly Basic + State Water Project charge ($12.15 + $36.53) for a 3/4" meter. Per-HCF rates add the Capital Improvement Program charge ($6.01) and the CAPP operating charge ($0.41) to each tier, which reproduces the District's rate-study bill for a 7 HCF single-family customer ($138.99). The CIP charge is really set from 5-year average use (minimum 4 HCF), so it is modelled as if it follows current use. Base pressure zone rates are used; zone I and II connections pay $0.39 and $0.74 more per HCF.
The CAPP capital charge ($53.91 a year for a 3/4" meter) is not on the 2026-27 tax bill: the District's board vote to place it on the tax roll failed the two-thirds requirement, and the District says it is proposed to appear on water bills from January 2027, so it is not in these totals.
Sewer is the Carpinteria Sanitary District flat residential charge on the property tax bill ($849.48 a year); it is not counted in water.
Trash uses the maximum monthly rates adopted to take effect May 1, 2025 (32-, 64- and 96-gallon trash cart with recycling and organics carts). The franchise allows annual CPI increases each July 1 (capped at 4%); no later published schedule was found, so current bills may be slightly higher.
Electricity is SCE delivery with 3CE generation (the total per-kWh rate plus SCE's $24.15 Base Services Charge). Gas is SoCalGas.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Carpinteria compares

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

Per year	Carpinteria	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.05%	1.13%	lower than 269 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$1,668	$927	higher than 271 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Trash	$482	$452	higher than 156 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,069	$3,421	lower than 213 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	$18,398	$14,432	higher than 219 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: Carpinteria's property tax rate is 1.05%, lower than 269 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 Carpinteria is 1.05%, lower than 269 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. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,668 a year at typical use, higher than 271 of the other 284 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,668 a year at typical use, higher than 271 of the other 284 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,069 a year, lower than 213 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 $3,069 a year for a typical house, lower than 213 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 Carpinteria house costs

What is the property tax rate in Carpinteria?

About 1.05% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Santa Barbara County (tax rate area 005-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $849).

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

About $6,006 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $849 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Carpinteria?

About $139 a month for water at typical use (7 units, or 5,236 gallons a month) on Carpinteria Valley Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Carpinteria?

$37 to $62 a month, depending on the trash cart size (32-gallon trash cart (Minimum Service), 64-gallon trash cart (Basic Service), 96-gallon trash cart (High Volume)).

When is property tax due in Carpinteria?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) becomes delinquent Apr 10: 10% penalty if unpaid by then.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Carpinteria?

Income-qualified: SoCalGas CARE: You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill through CARE if someone in your household receives public assistance such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh or SSI, or if household income is under the program's limit. Apply online with SoCalGas at socalgas.com; no additional documentation is required.

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

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