Larkspur, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Larkspur 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 Larkspur house

$34,221a year · $2,852 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $1,996,600; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$22,260
1.119% of $1,996,600, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$4,198
Sewer $1,918 · 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 · Ross Valley storm drainage fee (Flood Control Zone 9, 0.151 to 0.25 acre lot) $154 · Ross Valley Paramedic Authority tax $104 · 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$710
32-gal garbage, $59 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Larkspur house at the typical market value ($1,996,600) pays about $34,200 a year: $26,460 property tax and charges, $1,860 water, $710 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 $106 a year
Your cart costs $59 a month; the smallest costs $50. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call Marin Sanitary Service customer support at (415) 456-2601 or use its Residential Services page.
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 65 or older in a single-family home whose household income is 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: 25% off the sewer service chargeUp to $480 a year
Ross Valley Sanitary District's assistance program takes 25% off the sewer service charge on the property tax bill for an owner-occupied single-family home whose household income is under the low-income limit. The 2026/27 application was due June 30, 2026, and approval lasts one year, so you apply again each year.
How: File Ross Valley Sanitary District's Sewer Service Charge Assistance Program application with proof of income (a tax return or a PG&E bill showing CARE).
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.
Households eligible for PG&E CARE: lower garbage rateUp to $142 a year
Marin Sanitary Service's low-income rate in Larkspur is $47.34 a month for a 32-gallon cart instead of $59.17, for households that meet PG&E CARE eligibility requirements (2025 rates).
How: Questions about your garbage bill go to Marin Sanitary Service's billing department at (415) 456-2601.
Two free bulky item pickupsFree
Residential customers with their own Marin Sanitary Service account get two scheduled bulky item collections of up to two items each at no extra charge.
How: Request a bulky item pick-up through the online form on Marin Sanitary Service's contact page.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartThe price is set by the size of your garbage cart and includes an organics cart and a recycling split cart. Homes on the hill rate pay more (32 gallons: $63.74 a month). These are the 2025 rates; Marin Sanitary Service applied for increases of about 3.6% to 4% from January 1, 2026.

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) and the storm drainage fee depends on lot size ($132.48 to $221.40 for a single-family lot), so those lines vary by house. The 2026-27 bills we read also carry a $109 police tax and a $15 storm drain runoff charge, which are not counted here because we could not find their published rates.

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 (Larkspur tax rate area 4-001)
Garbage: Marin Sanitary Service; Larkspur's garbage hauler. One bundled rate covers a garbage cart, an organics cart and a recycling split cart.
Sewer: Ross Valley Sanitary District; Ross Valley Sanitary District's sewer service charge is on the yearly Marin County property tax bill.
Electricity: MCE generation, PG&E delivery; All of Marin County is in MCE's service area: MCE supplies the electricity and PG&E delivers it and sends the bill.
Gas: PG&E; Larkspur (94939, 94977) 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.

Other CA cities

How these numbers are made

Garbage: Marin Sanitary Service's Larkspur residential rates effective January 1, 2025 (flat-rate column), adopted by the City Council on November 20, 2024: $50.34 a month for a 20-gallon cart, $59.17 for 32, $118.34 for 64 and $177.51 for 96, each bundled with an organics cart and a recycling split cart, billed quarterly. We could not find Larkspur's 2026 rate table online; Marin Sanitary Service's 2026 rate application put increases for its jurisdictions at 3.6% to 4%, so the 2026 bill is likely about that much higher. Hillside homes pay the higher hill rate.
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: Ross Valley Sanitary District's single-family charge for the Larkspur Rate Zone, $1,918 for 2026-27 (the Ordinance 102 maximum; the 2026-27 bills we read show $1,918), counted with the property tax bill. Homes in the Ross Valley Rate Zone (north of Corte Madera Creek, Riviera Circle) pay $1,340.
Property tax: tax rate area 4-001 is the area with the most single-family parcels in Larkspur (1,226 of 2,471 improved single-family parcels in the County's parcel map; the next, 4-020, has 609). Its rates are the 2026-27 rates the Board of Supervisors adopted on August 25, 2026, applied to the levies the County's 2025-26 rate book lists for that area: 1% countywide, College of Marin bonds 0.0234%, Larkspur-Corte Madera School District bonds 0.0480%, Tamalpais Union bonds 0.0289% and Marin Healthcare District bonds 0.0185%, 1.1188% in all, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. 2026-27 bills we read for single-family homes in that area show the same rates. Other areas of Larkspur (such as Greenbrae, in the Kentfield School District) have different school rates and parcel taxes.
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), Ross Valley storm drainage fee $153.76 (the most common single-family lot size, 0.151 to 0.25 acre), Ross Valley Paramedic Authority tax $103.50 (Measure H: $94.50 plus up to $3 a year; the 2026-27 bills show $103.50), Marin Water fire flow fee $75, Marin Emergency Radio Authority $29, SF Bay Restoration $12 and mosquito and vector control $12 (the district's 2025-26 report rate, which the 2026-27 bills match). The bills we read also show a $109 police tax and a $15 storm drain runoff charge that we could not tie to a published rate; they are left out, so a typical bill is about $124 higher. Seniors who file can be exempt from the two school parcel taxes. Parcels in the Larkspur Lagoon bulkhead community facilities district (CFD 2024-2) pay a special tax not counted here.
The starting home value is the Census ACS 2020-2024 median market value of owner-occupied homes ($1,996,600); 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 Larkspur outside Marin's territory T (whose boundary follows Larkspur's city 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

How Larkspur compares

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

Per year	Larkspur	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.12%	1.13%	lower than 64 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$1,857	$955	higher than 107 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Trash	$710	$438	higher than 92 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,705	$3,556	higher than 77 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	$34,221	$15,240	higher than 109 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. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,857 a year at typical use, higher than 107 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,857 a year at typical use, higher than 107 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $710 a year for the standard cart, higher than 92 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 $710 a year for the standard cart, higher than 92 of the other 101 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Larkspur house costs

What is the property tax rate in Larkspur?

About 1.12% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Marin County (Larkspur tax rate area 4-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $1,918, 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 Larkspur?

About $9,713 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $4,198 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Larkspur?

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 Larkspur?

$50 to $178 a month, depending on the trash cart size (20-gal garbage, 32-gal garbage, 64-gal garbage, 96-gal garbage).

When is property tax due in Larkspur?

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 Larkspur?

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 Larkspur?

Low-income seniors 65+: wildfire tax exemption: Owners 65 or older in a single-family home whose household income is 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 Larkspur cost to run each year?

All California cities All cities