La Palma, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a La Palma 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 La Palma house

$17,426a year · $1,452 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $973,600; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A La Palma house at the typical market value ($973,600) pays about $17,400 a year: $11,190 property tax and charges, $840 water and sewer, $350 trash, $3,560 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:

Annual Spring Clean-Up bulky pickup
The City lists its annual Spring Clean-Up (bulky-item pick-up week May 11 - May 15, 2026) as an option for bulky items.
How: The City also lists scheduling a pick up with EDCO Disposal at 714-522-3577 (additional fees may apply).
Homeowners' exemption
If you own and occupy your principal place of residence on January 1, you may apply for a Homeowners' Exemption that will exempt $7,000 of your home's assessed value from taxation.
How: See the county Treasurer-Tax Collector page for this exemption.
Low income: CARE discount on SCE and SoCalGas30-35% off electric, 20% off gas
Low-income customers enrolled in CARE get a 30-35% discount on their electric bill and 20% on their natural gas bill.
How: Contact SCE or SoCalGas, or apply on their websites.
Income slightly above CARE limits: FERA electric discount18% off electric
Families whose income slightly exceeds the CARE limits may qualify for FERA, an 18% discount on electricity bills.
How: To request an application form, contact your utility company or visit its website.

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 La Palma house uses about 8.

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, or the next business day if Apr 10 falls on a weekend or legal holiday: 10% penalty plus $23 per bill.

Who serves this house

Water: City of La Palma; A public hearing on the rates was held November 4, 2025; the adopted rates went into effect with a new billing cycle after January 1, 2026: $62.10 per bimonthly bill fixed service charge and $3.99 per CCF; the bill is issued in even months.
Property tax: 1.12% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate areas 16-007 to 16-011)
Garbage: EDCO Disposal; The City contracts with EDCO Disposal to provide solid waste sanitation and street sweeping services within the City.
Sewer: City of La Palma; OC San; Sewer treatment and disposal services are provided by and billed separately by OCSD.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; La Palma is listed among SCE service territory cities.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company serves natural gas in La Palma, Orange County.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The City's water supply is groundwater managed by the OCWD and treated surface water from Northern California and the Colorado River managed by the MWDSC.
Hardness: The 2025 report lists total hardness of 8.6 and 14 grains per gallon, range 8.1 - 16.
Lead: Thirty residences were tested for lead and copper at-the-tap during 2024. Lead was detected in 3 homes; none exceeded the regulatory Action Level.

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 (City of La Palma, rates effective with the first billing cycle after Jan 1, 2026): $62.10 fixed per bimonthly bill ($31.05 a month) plus $3.99 per CCF; sewer collection $0.88 per CCF of billed water. The city's rate notice describes a typical single-family home as 1,600 cubic feet per bimonthly bill (8 CCF a month). The notice's fire-flow charge is not added; the notice's typical bill ($139.96) matches fixed + volume + sewer without it. Rates step up each January 1 through 2030 ($4.98 per CCF from 2027).
Sewer treatment is billed separately by OC San: $397 a year for a single-family residence (2026-27), on the property tax bill.
Trash: $29.25 a month residential (contractor $18.05 + processing $11.20), effective July 1, 2026, on the combined water/sewer/sanitation bill.
Property tax: tax rate areas 16-007 to 16-011 (Cypress School District, Anaheim Union High, North Orange County CCD, MWDOC), 1.11632% in total for 2026-27 from the Orange County tax rate book, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. Some La Palma areas carry Buena Park SD/Fullerton Joint Union High (1.12202%) or Centralia SD (1.13546%) instead; we did not count homes per area, so the Cypress SD / Anaheim UHSD areas are assumed most common. Prop 13 assessed values are often below the Census market median used as the starting value. We found no La Palma city energy tax and no city flat charge on the tax bill; other direct charges (e.g. vector control) were not checked.
Electricity: SCE with its generation rate (SCE/OCPA comparison, June 1, 2026) plus the $24.15 base services charge; gas: SoCalGas August 2026 typical bill at 35 therms.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about La Palma house costs

What is the property tax rate in La Palma?

About 1.12% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate areas 16-007 to 16-011)), 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 La Palma?

About $5,900 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 La Palma?

About $70 a month for water and sewer at typical use (8 units, or 5,984 gallons a month) on City of La Palma.

How much does trash pickup cost in La Palma?

$29 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in La Palma?

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, or the next business day if Apr 10 falls on a weekend or legal holiday: 10% penalty plus $23 per bill.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in La Palma?

Low income: CARE discount on SCE and SoCalGas: Low-income customers enrolled in CARE get a 30-35% discount on their electric bill and 20% on their natural gas bill. Contact SCE or SoCalGas, or apply on their websites.

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

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