Orange, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Orange 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 Orange house

$16,887a year · $1,407 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $945,800; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$9,951
1.060% of $945,800, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$418
OC San regional sewer service fee $397 · Metropolitan Water District water standby charge (MWDOC area) $10 · OC Mosquito and Vector Control District: mosquito, fire ant and disease control assessment (District No. 2) $9 · OC Mosquito and Vector Control District: vector surveillance and control assessment (District No. 1) $2
Electricity and gas$3,556
523 kWh a month $2,729 · 35 therms $827
Water and sewer$1,124
15.5 units (CCF) a month on City of Orange Water Division: water $80, sewer $14 a month
Trash$346
95-gallon cart set (one each refuse, recycling and green waste cart), $29 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Orange house at the typical market value ($945,800) pays about $16,900 a year: $10,370 property tax and charges, $1,120 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:

Switch to the 35-gallon cart set (one each refuse, recycling and green waste cart) cartUp to $35 a year
Your cart costs $29 a month; the smallest costs $26. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call CR&R customer care at (714) 372-8272; the rate schedule lists a $31.48 cart exchange charge.
Water-saving rebates through MWDOCUp to $2 per sq ft of turf replaced
The Municipal Water District of Orange County offers residential rebates, including up to $2 per square foot of grass replaced, up to $80 for a smart irrigation timer, from $85 for a high efficiency clothes washer and from $40 for a premium high efficiency toilet. Rebate amounts may vary by participating agency and are based on available funding.
How: The City's water rate sheet points to www.mwdoc.com for water rebates and incentives; check the program before you buy.
Free bulky item pickups
Each City of Orange residential account is entitled to four bulky item collections six times a year from CR&R, at no charge: 24 items a year. Place items out on your regular trash day.
How: Reserve a collection date with CR&R at (714) 372-8272.
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.
Veterans rated 100% disabled: property tax exemption$100,000+ off assessed value
The Disabled Veterans' Exemption lowers property tax on the home of veterans rated 100% disabled from a service-connected injury or disease, or paid at the 100% rate due to unemployability; an unmarried surviving spouse may also claim it. The basic exemption ($100,000, adjusted each year for inflation) needs no annual filing once granted. The low-income exemption ($150,000, also adjusted) must be filed every year between January 1 and February 15.
How: To receive 100 percent of the eligible exemption, file the claim with the county assessor within 90 days after you receive the disability rating, or on or before the next lien date, whichever occurs later.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartEach residential rate covers one each refuse, recycling and green waste cart; the City's rates for July 1, 2026 are monthly.

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. Some neighborhoods also pay Mello-Roos special taxes or landscape assessments on the same bill; check the special taxes listed on yours.

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 Orange house uses about 15.5.

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 Orange Water Division; City of Orange; utility bills are mailed every other month (six bills a year). From January 1, 2026 a single family home pays a bi-monthly service capacity charge of $38.98 for a 5/8" or 3/4" service, and per hundred cubic feet (hcf) $3.85 for 0-23 hcf, $3.99 for 24-42 hcf and $4.18 for 43+ hcf. Homes in higher elevation zones also pay an elevation charge ($0.25 per hcf in Zone 4, $0.63 in Zone 5).
Property tax: 1.06% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 08-001)
Garbage: CR&R Environmental Services; The City's trash, recyclables and organics are collected by CR&R Environmental Services under a franchise agreement; under that agreement the contractor (CR&R Incorporated) bills single-family cart customers quarterly in advance.
Sewer: City of Orange + OC San; The City bills a sanitation services charge for sewer maintenance and sewer infrastructure; OC San provides regional collection and treatment of sewage, and its sewer fee is on the property tax bill.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; Southern California Edison (SCE) provides electrical power service to the Orange planning area.
Gas: SoCalGas; The Southern California Gas Company supplies natural gas to businesses and residents within the Orange planning area.
Schools: Orange Unified + Rancho Santiago CCD; Tax rate area 08-001 in the City of Orange carries Orange Unified School District and Rancho Santiago Community College District bond rates.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Groundwater from 7 municipal wells drilled about 1000 feet into the Santa Ana River Aquifer, plus water imported by the Metropolitan Water District from the Colorado River and northern California, and a small amount from the Serrano Water District.
Hardness: Total hardness averaged 18 grains per gallon (300 ppm as CaCO3), range 8 to 22 grains, in 2025.
Lead: In 2024, 50 residences were tested for lead and copper at the tap: lead was detected in one sample, and none exceeded the action level. The lead and copper service line inventory was completed in 2025.
Standards: The 2025 report says the City's tap water met all federal and state drinking water health 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 (City of Orange, rates effective January 1, 2026, billed every two months): the $38.98 bi-monthly service capacity charge for a 5/8" or 3/4" service, halved to $19.49 a month, and the single-family tiers ($3.85, $3.99 and $4.18 per hcf) with the bi-monthly breakpoints of 23 and 42 hcf halved to 11.5 and 21 hcf a month. The elevation charge that only homes in higher zones pay ($0.25 or $0.63 per hcf) is not included. The page starts at 15.5 hcf a month, half the 31 hcf bi-monthly median single-family use in the City's 2023 water and sewer rate study. Some homes at the city's edges are served by other water agencies (for example East Orange County Water District or Golden State Water) and are not modeled.
Sewer: the City's single-family Sewer Maintenance ($19.21) and Sewer Infrastructure ($8.70) flat rates from January 1, 2026, which the rate study sets as bi-monthly charges, so $13.96 a month; OC San's $397 single-family fee is counted with the tax bill. The City-Wide Street Tree Program flat rate ($3.20 for a single family residence on the sanitation rate sheet) is also on the City bill but is not included, because the rate sheet does not state its billing period. Trash: CR&R's monthly residential rates from July 1, 2026 ($28.81 with a 95-gallon cart set, $27.36 for 65 gallons, $25.93 for 35 gallons), which, under the City's franchise agreement, the contractor (CR&R Incorporated) bills quarterly in advance.
Property tax: tax rate area 08-001 (Orange Unified, Rancho Santiago Community College District and Metropolitan Water District), 1.05993% for 2026-27 from the Orange County tax rate book; by our count, 277 of the roughly 340 tax rate areas in the Orange City section of the rate book carry this same total. Some areas in the north and west of the city are in other school districts (for example Anaheim Elementary/Anaheim Union High at 1.13216%, Garden Grove Unified at 1.12115%) and some east-side areas carry Irvine Ranch Water District rates. The $7,000 homeowners' exemption comes off the value you enter. Flat charges: OC San's $397 single-family sewer fee, the Metropolitan Water District standby charge in MWDOC territory ($10.09 per parcel under an acre) and the two countywide Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District assessments ($9.34 and $1.92). Mello-Roos special taxes and landscape or lighting assessments that only some parcels carry are not included. The starting value is the Census median market value; under Prop 13 a home's assessed value can be far lower.
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; Orange is not an OCPA member city, so the SCE column applies), plus SCE's $24.15 monthly Base Services Charge; typical use is that comparison's 523 kWh a month. 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.
Insurance starts at the 2022 statewide California average (an older figure, likely low for today) homeowners premium (NAIC via the Insurance Information Institute) until you enter your own; parts of east Orange are in high fire hazard areas, where quotes are likely higher.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Orange compares

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

Per year	Orange	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.06%	1.13%	lower than 100 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$957	$955	higher than 55 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$167	$584	lower than 63 of the other 76 California cities we cover
Trash	$346	$438	lower than 87 of the other 101 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,556	$3,556	lower than 54 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	$16,887	$15,240	higher than 72 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: Orange's property tax rate is 1.06%, lower than 100 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 Orange is 1.06%, lower than 100 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 $167 a year, lower than 63 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 $167 a year, lower than 63 of the other 76 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $346 a year for the standard cart, lower than 87 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 $346 a year for the standard cart, lower than 87 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 Orange house costs

What is the property tax rate in Orange?

About 1.06% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 08-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (OC San regional sewer service fee $397, Metropolitan Water District water standby charge (MWDOC area) $10, OC Mosquito and Vector Control District: mosquito, fire ant and disease control assessment (District No. 2) $9, OC Mosquito and Vector Control District: vector surveillance and control assessment (District No. 1) $2).

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

About $5,644 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $418 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Orange?

About $94 a month for water and sewer at typical use (15.5 units, or 11,594 gallons a month) on City of Orange Water Division.

How much does trash pickup cost in Orange?

$26 to $29 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon cart set (one each refuse, recycling and green waste cart), 65-gallon cart set (one each refuse, recycling and green waste cart), 95-gallon cart set (one each refuse, recycling and green waste cart)).

When is property tax due in Orange?

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.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Orange?

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 Orange cost to run each year?

All California cities All cities