Huntington Beach, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Huntington Beach 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 Huntington Beach house

$19,026a year · $1,586 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,100,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$12,034
1.101% of $1,100,000, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$397
OC San regional sewer service fee $397
Electricity and gas$3,734
523 kWh a month $2,729 · 35 therms $827 · city utility tax $178
Water and sewer$930
9 units (CCF) a month on City of Huntington Beach: water $59, sewer $15, city utility tax $4 a month
Trash$440
Standard service (95-gallon trash, recycling and organics carts), $37 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Huntington Beach house at the typical market value ($1,100,000) pays about $19,000 a year: $12,430 property tax and charges, $930 water and sewer, $440 trash, $3,730 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:

Low-income seniors 62+: half-price trash and no utility tax50% off trash, plus no 5% utility tax
Low-income seniors age 62 and over can apply for a 50% discounted trash rate and for exemption from the City's utility users tax on water, electricity, phone, cable and gas bills. The trash discount applies only to City residential trash customers.
How: Complete the City's application certificate and submit it to the Finance Department; call (714) 536-5630 for help.
Water-saving rebatesTurf, irrigation and device rebates
The Municipal Water District of Orange County offers water use efficiency rebates for residents.
How: See OC Water Smart (linked from the City's Water Conservation page).
Free bulky item pickup
Residents with weekly cart service can schedule free bulky item collection with Republic Services up to 4 times a year, up to 10 items per pickup, on their regular collection day.
How: Call Republic Services at (714) 847-3581 at least 48 hours ahead.
Free household hazardous waste drop-off
Residents can drop off household hazardous waste free of charge at the Orange County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center at Republic Services, 17121 Nichols Lane, Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
How: Drop off at 17121 Nichols Lane, Gate 6.

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 Huntington Beach house uses about 9.

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 Huntington Beach; City of Huntington Beach: a basic monthly meter charge and capital charge plus a commodity rate of $3.5494 per CCF (rates effective August 15, 2026); billed about every 30 days.
Property tax: 1.10% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 04-001)
Garbage: Republic Services; Republic Services is the city's trash collector; trash is on the City's municipal statement with water and sewer, billed about every 30 days.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; SCE provides both generation and delivery; Huntington Beach voted in May 2023 to leave Orange County Power Authority.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company serves Huntington Beach, per the City's utility services list.
Schools: Huntington Beach City SD or Ocean View SD + Huntington Beach Union High; Tax rate areas in the city carry Huntington Beach Union High bonds plus either Huntington Beach City School District or Ocean View School District bonds.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: A blend of groundwater from nine City wells and imported water from MWDSC: 85% local groundwater and 15% imported, treated surface water in 2025. The groundwater basin is managed by OCWD.
Hardness: Total hardness averaged 162 ppm as calcium carbonate (10 grains per gallon) in local groundwater and 236 ppm (14 grains per gallon) in imported water, in the 2026 water quality report.
Lead: Lead was not detected in any of 52 home tap samples (2024). The City found no lead or galvanized service lines requiring replacement.

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 Huntington Beach rates effective August 15, 2026): $22.94 a month meter charge plus $4.24 capital charge for a 3/4-inch meter ($27.18), plus $3.5494 per CCF for all water used, and the $14.66 single-family sewer service charge. The City's rate page lists the $14.66 under a 'Daily Rates' heading and says the charge is billed based on a daily rate. We treat $14.66 as the monthly amount (about $0.48 a day): the municipal code says the charge is imposed and collected monthly, the 2024 Prop 218 notice lists the single-family rates in a table of monthly wastewater rates, and the City's earlier rate page listed $10.97 the same way when the rate study called the charge $10.98 a month. A $14.66 daily charge would be about $5,350 a year. The page starts at 9 CCF a month, which the City's 2024 water rate study calls the median residential billed monthly use.
Trash: the residential rate of $1.2045 a day ($36.64 a month) from July 2, 2026, for the standard three-cart service on the City's monthly statement; smaller carts don't change the fee.
Property tax: tax rate area 04-001 (Huntington Beach City School District, Huntington Beach Union High, the City's 1966 employee retirement override, Coast Community College District and Metropolitan Water District), 1.10101% 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. Ocean View School District areas such as 04-002 total 1.09311%, and some areas carry Fountain Valley or Westminster school district bonds instead. 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 SCE's joint rate comparison with OCPA ($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. Huntington Beach left OCPA in 2024, so SCE generation applies. 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.
Huntington Beach's 5% utility users tax is added to electricity, gas and water. The calculator applies it to the sewer charge too, though the ordinance taxes water, not sewer, so the tax line is overstated by about $9 a year. Insurance starts at the 2022 California average; Huntington Beach homes are worth more than average, so quotes are likely higher.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Huntington Beach compares

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

Per year	Huntington Beach	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.10%	1.13%	lower than 82 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$709	$955	lower than 90 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$220	$584	lower than 59 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$440	$438	higher than 52 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,734	$3,556	higher than 82 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	$19,026	$15,240	higher than 86 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: Huntington Beach's property tax rate is 1.10%, lower than 82 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 Huntington Beach is 1.10%, lower than 82 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 $709 a year at typical use, lower than 90 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $709 a year at typical use, lower than 90 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 $220 a year, lower than 59 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 $220 a year, lower than 59 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,734 a year, higher than 82 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 $3,734 a year for a typical house, higher than 82 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 Huntington Beach house costs

What is the property tax rate in Huntington Beach?

About 1.10% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 04-001)), 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 Huntington Beach?

About $5,825 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 Huntington Beach?

About $74 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on City of Huntington Beach.

How much does trash pickup cost in Huntington Beach?

$37 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Huntington Beach?

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 Huntington Beach?

Yes. Low-income seniors 62+: half-price trash and no utility tax: Low-income seniors age 62 and over can apply for a 50% discounted trash rate and for exemption from the City's utility users tax on water, electricity, phone, cable and gas bills. The trash discount applies only to City residential trash customers.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Huntington Beach?

Low-income seniors 62+: half-price trash and no utility tax: Low-income seniors age 62 and over can apply for a 50% discounted trash rate and for exemption from the City's utility users tax on water, electricity, phone, cable and gas bills. The trash discount applies only to City residential trash customers. Complete the City's application certificate and submit it to the Finance Department; call (714) 536-5630 for help.

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

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