Irvine, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Irvine 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 Irvine house

$18,989a year · $1,582 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,191,500; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Irvine house at the typical market value ($1,191,500) pays about $19,000 a year: $12,260 property tax and charges, $1,020 water and sewer, $360 trash, $3,850 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:

Switch to the 35-gallon low-volume trash cart (3-cart curbside service) cartUp to $23 a year
Your cart costs $30 a month; the smallest costs $28. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Check or change to a 35-gallon trash container in your MyWM account or by calling WM customer service at 949-642-1191.
Seniors 65+: lower WM trash rate$27.98 instead of $29.87 a month
WM's curbside senior rate in Irvine is $27.98 a month instead of $29.87 for standard 64- or 96-gallon service. To qualify you must be at least 65, be the head of household and provide proof of age.
How: Fill out and submit WM's senior discount form, or contact WM at 949-642-1191.
Switch to a 35-gallon trash cart$27.98 instead of $29.87 a month
WM's low-volume discount: with a 35-gallon trash cart, curbside service is $27.98 a month instead of $29.87, and you may keep any size recycling or organics container.
How: Check or change your cart in your MyWM account or call WM at 949-642-1191.
Free bulky item pickups
WM's Irvine rate schedule includes bulky item collection free for 4 items, 4 times a year (or 16 items); additional bulky item collection costs $28.02.
How: Request a bulk pickup in your My WM account.
Bigger household or larger yard: ask IRWD for a water budget variance
IRWD sets your water budget assuming 4 residents and 1,300 square feet of landscape for a single-family home; variances are available for more people living in the home, larger landscaped areas or special medical needs, and must be renewed every year.
How: Apply online at irwd.com (Request a Water Variance) or call IRWD Customer Service at (949) 453-5300.
IRWD turf replacement rebate$2 per square foot
IRWD customers can receive $2 per square foot for replacing lawn irrigated with drinking or recycled water. Rebate amounts are subject to change and funding availability.
How: See IRWD's residential rebates page for program terms and applications.
Income-qualified households: CARE, 32.5% off the electric bill32.5% off the electric bill
SCE's CARE program gives qualifying households 32.5% off their electric bills, based on household size and total income (CARE limit $43,280 for 1-2 people, June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027); CARE also applies to OCPA customers.
How: Apply online with SCE (no additional documentation is required) or call SCE's automated line at 1-800-798-5723.
Income-qualified households: SoCalGas CARE, 20% off the gas bill20% off the gas bill
You may qualify for 20% off your monthly natural gas bill from SoCalGas through the CARE program if someone in your household receives certain public assistance benefits, or if total yearly household income is not more than $43,280 for 1-2 people (June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027).
How: Apply online with SoCalGas (no additional documentation is required), or mail the CARE application to SoCalGas CARE Program, PO Box 3249, Los Angeles CA 90051-1249.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartStandard service is three curbside carts (trash, recycling, mixed organics); 64- and 96-gallon trash carts cost the same, and the 35-gallon low-volume cart costs less.

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. Many Irvine neighborhoods, such as the Great Park Neighborhoods, also pay Mello-Roos (community facilities district) special taxes or assessment district charges that are not included here; your tax bill lists them.

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 Irvine house uses about 12.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Orange County Power Authority (Basic Choice) with Southern California Edison delivery 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: Irvine Ranch Water District; Irvine Ranch Water District bills monthly: a fixed water service charge by meter size plus budget-based rates per CCF (748 gallons), with tiers set as a percentage of your monthly water budget (FY 2026-27 rates, effective July 1, 2026).
Property tax: 1.04% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 26-006)
Garbage: WM (Waste Management of Orange County); The City has chosen WM for residential trash pickup under its agreement with WM; you need your own WM profile for service and billing, and rate changes appear on your WM invoice.
Sewer: Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD); IRWD provides sewage collection and water recycling to the City of Irvine; the sewer charge is on your monthly IRWD bill.
Electricity: Orange County Power Authority + Southern California Edison; Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) buys the power for Irvine customers, while Southern California Edison delivers it and sends the bill.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company provides natural gas to homes and businesses in the City of Irvine.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Your drinking water is a blend of local groundwater, groundwater from the Orange County Groundwater Basin managed by the Orange County Water District and, to a lesser degree, surface water imported by the Metropolitan Water District from the State Water Project and the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Lead: In 2025, lead and copper tap samples were collected from 72 residences; lead was detected in zero homes, and no sample exceeded the action level.
Service lines: IRWD has no lead pipes or galvanized service lines in its water distribution system, confirmed by a 2024 inventory.
Standards: In 2025, IRWD drinking water met or exceeded all state and federal standards.

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 (Irvine Ranch Water District, FY 2026-27 rates effective July 1, 2026): $15.60 a month for the standard 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter plus budget-based rates per CCF. IRWD's tiers are a share of a budget it sets for each home (50 gallons a person a day for 4 residents indoors plus an outdoor allowance for 1,300 square feet of landscape that changes with the weather), so we model IRWD's typical single-family customer, who per IRWD's FY 2026-27 rate study uses 12 CCF a month against a 12 CCF budget: $2.18 up to 4.8 CCF (40% of budget), $2.92 up to 12, $8.03 up to 16.8 (140%) and $19.32 above. Your own budget is printed on your bill and moves month to month. Pumping surcharges ($0.48 to $2.19 per CCF) that apply only in some areas, and the $2 monthly credit for customers who stayed in the Low Volume tier, are left out. The page starts at 12 CCF.
Sewer: IRWD's monthly residential sewer service charge is set by the average of your three lowest months of water use in the prior calendar year; we use the middle charge, $38.10 (5 to 10 CCF), because IRWD's rate study found single-family customers averaged 10 CCF in those low-use months. OC San's regional sewer fee is not on Irvine tax bills: OC San bills IRWD directly for properties in its Revenue Area No. 14. Trash: WM's July 1, 2026 rate for 3-cart curbside service, $29.87 a month for a 64- or 96-gallon trash cart ($27.98 for 35 gallons), on WM's invoice.
Property tax: tax rate area 26-006 (the 1% levy, Irvine Unified School Facilities Improvement District No. 1 bonds and Metropolitan Water District), 1.03515% for 2026-27 from the Orange County tax rate book, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption, applied to the value you enter. About 109 of Irvine's 269 tax rate areas carry this 1.03515% total; about 108 others, many in newer villages, total 1.00850% with no Irvine Unified bond rate; Tustin Unified areas total 1.04734% to 1.08342% and Santa Ana Unified areas 1.14059%. Many Irvine tax rate areas also carry Irvine Ranch Water District improvement district taxes of 0.0085% to 0.099% charged on land value only, which are not included. 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 (community facilities district) special taxes and 1915 Act assessment district charges, which many Irvine neighborhoods pay (for example CFD No. 2013-3 in the Great Park Neighborhoods) and which can be large, plus small flat charges such as the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District assessments and Metropolitan Water District standby charges, which we could not confirm for a typical Irvine parcel. Your tax bill lists every such line.
Electricity: SCE's joint rate comparison with OCPA for the Domestic rate with OCPA Basic Choice, the plan the City said in December 2024 all Irvine ratepayers would be moved into ($0.43629 per kWh in total; SCE rates as of June 1, 2026 and OCPA rates as of October 20, 2025; its $228.18 average bill at 523 kWh is that rate times the usage, so it is a year-round average), plus SCE's $24.15 monthly Base Services Charge. Customers on Smart Choice or 100% Renewable Choice pay about 1 to 1.5 cents per kWh more. 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. Insurance starts at the 2022 California average; Irvine homes are worth more than average, so quotes are likely higher.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Irvine compares

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

Per year	Irvine	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.04%	1.13%	lower than 105 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$565	$955	lower than 102 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$457	$584	lower than 50 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$358	$438	lower than 85 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,855	$3,556	higher than 92 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	$18,989	$15,240	higher than 85 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: Irvine's property tax rate is 1.04%, lower than 105 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 Irvine is 1.04%, lower than 105 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 $565 a year at typical use, lower than 102 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $565 a year at typical use, lower than 102 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $358 a year for the standard cart, lower than 85 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 $358 a year for the standard cart, lower than 85 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 $3,855 a year, higher than 92 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 $3,855 a year for a typical house, higher than 92 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 Irvine house costs

What is the property tax rate in Irvine?

About 1.04% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 26-006)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $5,103 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption.

How much is the water bill in Irvine?

About $85 a month for water and sewer at typical use (12 units, or 8,976 gallons a month) on Irvine Ranch Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Irvine?

$28 to $30 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon low-volume trash cart (3-cart curbside service), 64-gallon trash cart (3-cart curbside service), 96-gallon trash cart (3-cart curbside service)).

When is property tax due in Irvine?

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 Irvine?

Yes. Seniors 65+: lower WM trash rate: WM's curbside senior rate in Irvine is $27.98 a month instead of $29.87 for standard 64- or 96-gallon service. To qualify you must be at least 65, be the head of household and provide proof of age.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Irvine?

Income-qualified households: CARE, 32.5% off the electric bill: SCE's CARE program gives qualifying households 32.5% off their electric bills, based on household size and total income (CARE limit $43,280 for 1-2 people, June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027); CARE also applies to OCPA customers. Apply online with SCE (no additional documentation is required) or call SCE's automated line at 1-800-798-5723.

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

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