Lawndale, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Lawndale 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 Lawndale house

$11,646a year · $971 a month

Starts at $388,693 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$4,706
1.233% of $388,693, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$303
Sewer $216 · LA County Measure W Safe Clean Water tax (median single-family parcel) $77 · LA County West Vector Control assessment $10
Electricity and gas$3,654
523 kWh a month $2,637 · 35 therms $827 · city utility tax $190
Water$1,084
8 units (CCF) a month on Golden State Water (Southwest system): water $86, city utility tax $5 a month
Trash$408
65 gallon (standard), $34 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A typical Lawndale house pays about $11,600 a year: $5,010 property tax and charges, $1,080 water, $410 trash, $3,650 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 35 gallon cartUp to $65 a year
Your cart costs $34 a month; the smallest costs $29. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Seniors 65+, low income or disabled: utility users tax exemptionNo 5.5% utility tax
The City Council exempted citizens aged 65 or older, low-income residents, and the disabled from the utility tax, which is 5.5% on utility bills.
How: Submit the City's Utility Users Tax Exemption Application with proof of eligibility.
Seniors 65+: 15% off trash service15% off trash
Residents aged 65 and older are eligible for a 15% discount on refuse services.
How: See the City's Save Money on Services page.
Free bulky item pickups (City program)
Lawndale residents receive six free bulky item collections each year, each up to six bulky items or up to 10 bags of yard waste.
How: See the City's Save Money on Services page.
Low income: Golden State Water bill creditMonthly bill credit
Golden State Water's Customer Assistance Program gives low-income households a monthly credit on their water bill; for June 2025 to May 2026 the income limit was $42,300 for a 1-2 person household.
How: Apply to Golden State Water with its CAP application and eligibility declaration.
Low income: SoCalGas CARE20% off the gas bill
Customers enrolled in CARE get a 20% discount on their SoCalGas bill.
How: See SoCalGas assistance programs at socalgas.com.
Free bulky item pickups (Republic Services cart program)
Properties that use trash carts get four free special pickups a year for bulky items, up to 64 cubic feet of material each time.
How: Call Republic Services at (888) 742-5234 to set up a pickup; place items at the curb only after arranging it.
Low-income seniors over 62: Safe, Clean Water parcel tax exemptionNo Safe, Clean Water tax
Owners over 62 who live in the home and head a low-income household can apply for an exemption from the Safe, Clean Water Program special parcel tax; the FY 2027-28 limit is $106,600 for a 2-person household.
How: Submit the claim form to the Safe, Clean Water Program by May 1 each year; call 833-275-7297.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartMonthly price is the City's quarterly rate for the black trash cart divided by 3; recycling and organics carts are included.

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. These rates are for tax rate area 05164; other school or special-district areas of the city can differ.

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 Lawndale 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 LA County (filing runs July 2 to November 30).
Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is late 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 if not paid or postmarked by Apr 10.

Who serves this house

Water: Golden State Water (Southwest system); Golden State Water Company, Metropolitan District residential rates effective January 1, 2026 (its territory includes Lawndale): a monthly service charge by meter size plus three tiers per 100 cubic feet, a $0.242 per Ccf CAP surcharge, and a 0.7% surcharge on all bills for the CPUC reimbursement fee.
Property tax: 1.23% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County
Garbage: Republic Services; Republic Services holds the City's exclusive franchise for residential trash, recycling and organics collection.
Sewer: LA County Sanitation District No. 5; District No. 5 encompasses all or portions of Lawndale and other cities.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; SCE's service territory city list includes Lawndale.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company lists Lawndale among the cities it serves.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Southwest System water is a blend of treated groundwater from the West Coast and Central basins and imported Colorado River and State Water Project water from the Metropolitan Water District.
Hardness: Hardness averaged 190 mg/L (11 grains per gallon) in 2025 testing, with a range of 137-280 mg/L.
Lead: In 2023 tap sampling the lead 90th-percentile result was not detected; 1 of 107 samples exceeded the action level. GSWC found no lead or galvanized service lines needing 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: Golden State Water's Southwest system (EPA water system boundaries at a Lawndale point; Lawndale is named in the Metropolitan District schedule). Its schedule effective January 1, 2026: $37.81 a month for a 5/8 x 3/4-inch meter and $5.657, $6.505 and $7.481 per Ccf for the first 9, next 12 and over 21 Ccf a month, each plus the $0.242 per Ccf CAP surcharge, all times 1.007 for the 0.7% CPUC reimbursement fee. The page starts at 8 Ccf a month, Golden State Water's average Southwest residential use. We did not check whether small parts of Lawndale are served by another water system.
Trash: Republic Services' quarterly residential rates effective January 1, 2026 ($85.80, $102.00 and $118.20 for the 35-, 65- and 95-gallon cart) divided by 3. Whether Republic or the property tax bill collects it is not stated on the pages we found.
Property tax: 1% plus the 2026-27 Lawndale Elementary School District, Centinela Valley Union High School District and El Camino Community College District bond rates from the LA County tax rate resolution and the Metropolitan Water District's 0.0085% (about 1.23% in total), less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. We use tax rate area 05164, the most common one for Lawndale single-family parcels (1,145 of 1,970; 821 are in 12711); we did not confirm the districts in each area, so other areas may differ. Flat charges included: Measure W (median for Lawndale single-family parcels) and the West Vector Control District charge; the County Sanitation District No. 5 sewer charge is the sewer line. Not included because we could not source them for Lawndale: West Basin MWD standby charge, any City lighting or sewer assessment, flood control, trauma tax and park district charges.
Electricity: SCE's Domestic rate, assumed to be bundled SCE service (we did not find that Lawndale has a community choice program), $0.37392 per kWh from the SCE/CPA joint rate comparison plus the $24.15 Base Services Charge. Gas: SoCalGas's August 2026 average non-CARE bill ($68.91 at 35 therms) with the $0.16-a-day customer charge, so $4.87 a month plus $1.830 per therm. Lawndale's 5.5% utility users tax on electricity, gas, water, telephone and cable is added. Sewer: the $216 a year is District No. 5's proposed 2026-27 rate; we could not open the District's pages to confirm adoption. Electricity rates are as of June 1, 2026 and may have changed since. Insurance starts at the 2022 California average.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Lawndale compares

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

Per year	Lawndale	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.23%	1.13%	higher than 95 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$1,027	$955	higher than 64 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$56	$584	lower than 70 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$408	$438	lower than 62 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,654	$3,556	higher than 67 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	$11,646	$15,240	lower than 96 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: Lawndale's property tax rate is 1.23%, higher than 95 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 Lawndale is 1.23%, higher than 95 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $56 a year, lower than 70 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 $56 a year, lower than 70 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 Lawndale house costs

What is the property tax rate in Lawndale?

About 1.23% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Los Angeles County), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $216, LA County Measure W Safe Clean Water tax (median single-family parcel) $77, LA County West Vector Control assessment $10).

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

About $6,381 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $303 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Lawndale?

About $86 a month for water at typical use (8 units, or 5,984 gallons a month) on Golden State Water (Southwest system).

How much does trash pickup cost in Lawndale?

$29 to $39 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35 gallon, 65 gallon (standard), 95 gallon).

When is property tax due in Lawndale?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is late after Dec 10: 10% penalty. Apr 10: Second property tax installment (due Feb 1) is delinquent if not paid or postmarked by Apr 10.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Lawndale?

Yes. Seniors 65+, low income or disabled: utility users tax exemption: The City Council exempted citizens aged 65 or older, low-income residents, and the disabled from the utility tax, which is 5.5% on utility bills.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Lawndale?

Seniors 65+, low income or disabled: utility users tax exemption: The City Council exempted citizens aged 65 or older, low-income residents, and the disabled from the utility tax, which is 5.5% on utility bills. Submit the City's Utility Users Tax Exemption Application with proof of eligibility.

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

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