Corte Madera, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Corte Madera 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 Corte Madera house

$30,182a year · $2,515 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,755,200; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$19,559
1.119% of $1,755,200, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$2,930
Sewer $908 · Larkspur-Corte Madera School District parcel tax $1,106 · Tamalpais Union High School District parcel tax (Measure M) $560 · Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority tax (Measure C, 2,000 sq ft house) $228 · Marin Water fire flow fee $75 · Marin Emergency Radio Authority tax $29 · SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax (Measure AA) $12 · Marin/Sonoma mosquito & vector control assessment $12
Electricity and gas$3,705
500 kWh a month $2,726 · 31.72 therms $979
Water$1,857
9 units (CCF) a month on Marin Water: water $155 a month
Trash$639
32-gal garbage, $53 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Corte Madera house at the typical market value ($1,755,200) pays about $30,200 a year: $22,490 property tax and charges, $1,860 water, $640 trash, $3,710 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 garbage cartUp to $96 a year
Your cart costs $53 a month; the smallest costs $45. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Seniors 65+: Larkspur-Corte Madera School District parcel tax exemptionParcel tax waived
Owners who will be 65 by June 15, own a beneficial interest in the home, use it as their principal residence and file an application get a full year's exemption from the school district's parcel tax, effective July 1 of the following tax year. Owners who turn 65 after June 15 and file between June 16 and December 15 get a half-year credit. People receiving SSI for a disability can also qualify. Once approved, the exemption continues for the rest of the tax's term while the home stays their principal residence.
How: Print and complete the Parcel Tax Senior Exemption Form, or contact the District Office at (415) 927-6960 or parceltax@lcmschools.org.
Seniors 65+: Tamalpais Union High School District parcel tax exemptionParcel tax waived
Homeowners who are 65 by May 1 and both own and live in the home can be exempted from the high school district's parcel tax for the following tax year; some owners receiving SSI or SSDI disability benefits can also qualify (SSDI has an income limit). The exemption continues each year you remain eligible without reapplying.
How: File the application by May 1, online or by mail; questions: (844) 332-0549.
Low-income seniors 65+: wildfire tax exemptionMeasure C tax waived
Owners who are 65 or older by July 1 of the tax year, living in an owner-occupied single-family residence (house, condo or town home) with household income at or below HUD income limits, can be exempted from the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority parcel tax. The application must be filed every year before June 30.
How: Apply through the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority's senior exemption page; status questions go to NBS at customercare@nbsgov.com or 1-(800) 676-7516.
Low-income households: Marin Water charge waiverService charge, capital fee and watershed fee waived
Single-family customers with household income at or below 80% of the HUD low-income level for Marin County, who have the account in their name and water-efficient fixtures, can have the bimonthly service charge, capital maintenance fee and watershed management fee waived. Water use is still billed at the usual rates.
How: Download the application from Marin Water's discount programs page and return it to Marin Water's Customer Service Department with proof of income.
Income-qualified households: PG&E CARE or FERA30–35% off electricity
CARE takes 30–35% off electricity and drops the base services charge to $6 a month; FERA takes 18% off for incomes slightly above the CARE limit.
How: Apply with PG&E; application forms are also available through community agencies.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartThe price is set by the size of your garbage cart and includes compost and recycling collection. These are the rates effective July 1, 2026 (a 2.20% increase); Mill Valley Refuse Service's franchise rates usually adjust each July 1.

Value before exemptionsEnter your assessed (net) value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often well below what the house would sell for. The wildfire tax is $0.1141 per square foot of building (shown for 2,000 sq ft). Corte Madera bills can also carry other flat charges, such as a library parcel tax and a Central Marin Police Authority tax, that are not counted here because we did not find their published amounts.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemptionSomeone on the title is 65 or older

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 house uses 7–12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your PG&E delivery with MCE Light Green generation bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 1in 9 daysInstallment 1 of the property tax is due; it is delinquent after 5 p.m. December 10, with a 10% penalty.
Nov 30, 2026in 38 daysLast day of Marin County's 2026 assessment appeal filing period (opened July 2).
Feb 1in 101 daysInstallment 2 of the property tax is due; it is delinquent after 5 p.m. April 10, with an additional 10% penalty and a $20 fee.
Feb 15in 115 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for that year.

Who serves this house

Water: Marin Water; Marin Water rates effective July 1, 2026; most customers are billed every other month. A single-family home with a 5/8-inch meter pays a $55.61 service charge and a $36.47 capital maintenance fee per bill, plus $10.86 per unit for the first 15 units in the billing period, $14.19 for units 16 to 25, $22.92 for 26 to 80 and $35.07 above 80. Every unit also carries a $0.66 watershed management fee. One unit is 748 gallons
Property tax: 1.12% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Marin County (Corte Madera)
Garbage: Mill Valley Refuse Service; Mill Valley Refuse Service is Corte Madera's hauler, according to Zero Waste Marin.
Sewer: Sanitary District No. 2; The Sanitary District No. 2 sewer user service charge is an assessment on the property tax bill.
Electricity: MCE generation, PG&E delivery; MCE's service area includes all of Marin County; as an MCE customer you keep PG&E electricity delivery and billing.
Gas: PG&E; Corte Madera (94925, 94976) is in PG&E's gas service territory.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: About 75% of Marin Water's supply is rain on its protected Mt. Tamalpais watershed and the hills of west Marin; it adds Russian River water from the Sonoma County Water Agency.
Lead: Marin Water says lead was not detected above the regulatory action level in its water supply.
PFAS: Marin Water says the source of its reservoir water is not susceptible to PFAS contamination.

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How these numbers are made

Garbage: Mill Valley Refuse Service's Corte Madera residential curbside rates effective July 1, 2026 (2.20% increase): $45.24 a month for a 20-gallon cart, $53.23 for 32 and $86.06 for 45, each with compost and recycling collection.
Water: Marin Water rates effective July 1, 2026, for a single-family home with a 5/8-inch meter, billed every other month and halved to a month: ($55.61 service charge + $36.47 capital maintenance fee) / 2 = $46.04, and the bimonthly tier limits of 15, 25 and 80 units become 7.5, 12.5 and 40 units a month. The $0.66 per unit watershed management fee is added to each tier. Marin Water publishes no typical use, so the page starts at its default of 9 units a month.
Sewer: Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County (Town of Corte Madera) user service charge for FY 2026-2027, $906.10 per sewer user unit plus a $2.00 collection charge, one unit for a single family residence, shown as an assessment on the property tax bill. We did not find the board resolution adopting it, only the Town's FY 2026-2027 fee sheet.
Property tax: the rates are the 2026-27 voter-approved rates for the school, college and healthcare bonds the County lists for Larkspur-Corte Madera School District, Tamalpais Union High School District, College of Marin and Marin Healthcare District, which cover Corte Madera, plus the 1% countywide rate, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. We could not read the County's tax rate book for Corte Madera's tax rate areas (the download was blocked), so these are not checked against a specific tax rate area, and a few parcels may have different bonds. Corte Madera has no city bond rate in the County's 2026-27 list.
Flat charges on the bill (2026-27): Larkspur-Corte Madera parcel tax $1,106.12, Tamalpais Union parcel tax $560, Marin Wildfire tax at $0.1141 per square foot of building ($228.20 for 2,000 sq ft), Marin Water fire flow fee $75, Marin Emergency Radio Authority $29, SF Bay Restoration $12 and mosquito and vector control $12. Corte Madera bills can also carry a library parcel tax, a Central Marin Police Authority tax and storm drainage charges that are left out because their published amounts were not found, so a typical bill is higher. Seniors who file can be exempt from the two school parcel taxes.
The starting home value is the Census ACS 2020-2024 median market value of owner-occupied homes ($1,755,200); under Prop 13 an owner who bought years ago has a lower assessed value and pays much less. Enter the net value from your tax bill.
Electricity: PG&E schedule E-1 for a non-CARE (Income Tier 3) home with MCE Light Green generation: PG&E's E-1 total rate ($0.32561 Tier 1, $0.40702 Tier 2) minus its $0.12855 generation charge and its ($0.01011) Bundled PCIA, plus MCE's April 1, 2026 Light Green rate ($0.12855) and the $0.03720 PCIA and franchise fee from the March 1, 2026 PG&E-MCE comparison: $0.37292 per kWh up to the baseline and $0.45433 above it, plus PG&E's $0.79343 a day base services charge ($24.13 a month). Our reading of PG&E's territory description puts Corte Madera outside Marin's territory T (whose boundary follows Corte Madera's town limits), so we use territory X: 9.8 kWh a day for the 4 summer months and 9.7 for the 8 winter months, about 296 kWh a month. Not included: MCE's and PG&E's credits. Gas: PG&E G-1 (October 1, 2026) $2.42480 and $2.92792 per therm plus the $0.12103 public purpose surcharge, territory X baseline weighted 7 summer, 3 off-peak and 2 on-peak months, about 30.1 therms a month. 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). Insurance is the 2022 California average homeowners premium (NAIC via the Insurance Information Institute).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Corte Madera house costs

What is the property tax rate in Corte Madera?

About 1.12% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Marin County (Corte Madera)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $908, Larkspur-Corte Madera School District parcel tax $1,106, Tamalpais Union High School District parcel tax (Measure M) $560, Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority tax (Measure C, 2,000 sq ft house) $228).

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

About $8,446 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $2,930 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Corte Madera?

About $155 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Marin Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Corte Madera?

$45 to $86 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20-gal garbage, 32-gal garbage, 45-gal garbage).

When is property tax due in Corte Madera?

Nov 1: Installment 1 of the property tax is due; it is delinquent after 5 p.m. December 10, with a 10% penalty. Feb 1: Installment 2 of the property tax is due; it is delinquent after 5 p.m. April 10, with an additional 10% penalty and a $20 fee.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Corte Madera?

Yes. Seniors 65+: Larkspur-Corte Madera School District parcel tax exemption: Owners who will be 65 by June 15, own a beneficial interest in the home, use it as their principal residence and file an application get a full year's exemption from the school district's parcel tax, effective July 1 of the following tax year. Owners who turn 65 after June 15 and file between June 16 and December 15 get a half-year credit. People receiving SSI for a disability can also qualify. Once approved, the exemption continues for the rest of the tax's term while the home stays their principal residence.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Corte Madera?

Low-income seniors 65+: wildfire tax exemption: Owners who are 65 or older by July 1 of the tax year, living in an owner-occupied single-family residence (house, condo or town home) with household income at or below HUD income limits, can be exempted from the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority parcel tax. The application must be filed every year before June 30. Apply through the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority's senior exemption page; status questions go to NBS at customercare@nbsgov.com or 1-(800) 676-7516.

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

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