Fountain Valley, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Fountain Valley 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 Fountain Valley house

$18,010a year · $1,501 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,072,300; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Fountain Valley house at the typical market value ($1,072,300) pays about $18,000 a year: $11,850 property tax and charges, $690 water and sewer, $420 trash, $3,560 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 21, 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:

Seniors 62+: senior trash rate$30.51 instead of $34.83 a month
Fountain Valley residents 62 and older can get the senior trash rate: $30.51 a month from July 1, 2026, against $34.83 for the standard residential rate.
How: Stop by City Hall, 10200 Slater Avenue, with a valid California driver's license or ID showing the service address.
Water-saving rebatesTurf, toilet, washer and irrigation rebates
Through the Municipal Water District of Orange County, the City offers residential rebates for high-efficiency clothes washers and toilets, rain barrels, rotating sprinkler nozzles, smart irrigation timers, soil moisture sensors and turf removal. Funding is limited.
How: Check availability at mwdoc.com/save-water/water-use-efficiency before you buy.
Free home water survey
The Water Smart Home Certification Program offers homeowners a free home water survey that identifies potential water savings inside and outside the home.
How: Visit OC Water Smart (linked from the City's Water Efficiency Rebates & Programs page).
Low income: SCE CARE rate$122.79 instead of $203.26 a month at 523 kWh
On SCE's CARE rate the average bill for 523 kWh is $122.79 a month, against $203.26 on the standard Domestic rate.
How: Contact SCE at sce.com or (800) 974-2356.
Bulky item pickup
Residential customers can schedule a bulky item pickup for large items up to 4 times a year, with up to 10 items per pickup.
How: Call Republic Services at (714) 847-3581 to schedule.

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.

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 Orange County (filing runs July 2 to November 30 at 5:00 p.m.).
Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after 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 delinquent after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $23 per bill.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Fountain Valley; City of Fountain Valley Water Division: a monthly water meter service charge ($10.47 for a 3/4- or 5/8-inch meter) plus $4.36 per HCF for all customer classes inside city limits (FY 2026-27 fee schedule).
Property tax: 1.08% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 21-002)
Garbage: Republic Services; The City contracts with Republic Services for weekly cart service; residents are billed on their bimonthly water bills.
Sewer: City of Fountain Valley + OC San; The City charges a monthly sewer rate; OC San's regional sewer service fee is an annual charge on the property tax bill.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; SCE supplies Fountain Valley today; the City says Orange County Power Authority will start service in April 2027, with SCE still delivering power and sending the bills.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company is on the City's utility list for Fountain Valley residents.
Schools: Fountain Valley SD + Huntington Beach Union High; Most Fountain Valley tax rate areas carry Fountain Valley School District and Huntington Beach Union High bonds; some carry Garden Grove Unified or Ocean View School District bonds instead.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Six City wells and one imported water connection; the wells pump from the Orange County Groundwater Basin managed by OCWD. In 2025 the City provided only groundwater.
Lead: Lead at household taps: 90th percentile 6 ppb, 0 of 33 sites over the 15 ppb action level (2024 sampling). The City found no lead service lines in its inventory.
PFAS: PFHxS has been detected at up to 3.5 parts per trillion, below the federal limit of 10 ppt but above the state notification level of 2 ppt.

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 and sewer (City of Fountain Valley FY 2026-27 fee schedule, effective July 6, 2026): $10.47 a month for a 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter plus $4.36 per HCF for all water used, and a flat $7.75 a month residential sewer rate. The page starts at 9 HCF a month because the City publishes no typical use.
Trash: Republic Services' standard residential rate with the City admin fee, $34.83 a month from July 1, 2026 ($33.44 + $1.39), on the City water bill. It covers a set of three 95-gallon carts. The City publishes one standard residential rate (and a senior rate); it does not list a different rate for smaller carts.
Property tax: tax rate area 21-002 (Fountain Valley School District, Huntington Beach Union High, Coast Community College District and Metropolitan Water District), 1.07550% in total for 2026-27 from the Orange County tax rate book, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, applied to the value you enter, plus OC San's $397 regional sewer service fee for a single-family home. Parts of the city are in Garden Grove Unified (about 1.101% to 1.121% total) or Ocean View School District (about 1.078%) tax rate areas. The starting value is the Census median market value; under Prop 13 a home's assessed value can be far lower. Not included: Mello-Roos or other special assessments that only some parcels carry.
Electricity: SCE's standard Domestic rate with SCE generation from the SCE and OCPA joint rate comparison ($0.38865 per kWh in total, SCE rates as of June 1, 2026; its $203.26 average bill at 523 kWh is that rate times the usage), plus SCE's $24.15 monthly Base Services Charge. Orange County Power Authority is expected to become the default generation provider in April 2027, which will change the generation part. Gas: SoCalGas's August 2026 average non-CARE bill ($68.91 at 35 therms), taken as including the $0.16-a-day customer charge (about $4.87 a month), so $4.87 a month plus $1.830 per therm. Both are averages; real bills vary by season and time of use.
Insurance starts at the 2022 California average; Fountain Valley homes are worth more than average, so quotes are likely higher.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Fountain Valley compares

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

Per year	Fountain Valley	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.08%	1.13%	lower than 96 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$597	$955	lower than 100 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$93	$584	lower than 68 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$418	$438	lower than 58 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,556	$3,556	lower than 54 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	$18,010	$15,240	higher than 82 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: Fountain Valley's property tax rate is 1.08%, lower than 96 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 Fountain Valley is 1.08%, lower than 96 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 $597 a year at typical use, lower than 100 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $597 a year at typical use, lower than 100 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 $93 a year, lower than 68 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 $93 a year, lower than 68 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Fountain Valley house costs

What is the property tax rate in Fountain Valley?

About 1.08% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 21-002)), plus flat charges on the same bill (OC San regional sewer service fee $397).

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

About $5,699 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $397 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Fountain Valley?

About $57 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on City of Fountain Valley.

How much does trash pickup cost in Fountain Valley?

$35 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Fountain Valley?

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) is delinquent after Apr 10: 10% penalty plus $23 per bill.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Fountain Valley?

Yes. Seniors 62+: senior trash rate: Fountain Valley residents 62 and older can get the senior trash rate: $30.51 a month from July 1, 2026, against $34.83 for the standard residential rate.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Fountain Valley?

Low income: SCE CARE rate: On SCE's CARE rate the average bill for 523 kWh is $122.79 a month, against $203.26 on the standard Domestic rate. Contact SCE at sce.com or (800) 974-2356.

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

All California cities All cities