Ridgecrest, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Ridgecrest 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 Ridgecrest house

$10,365a year · $864 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $253,900; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Ridgecrest house at the typical market value ($253,900) pays about $10,400 a year: $3,230 property tax and charges, $1,020 water, $350 trash, $4,270 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 trash cart cartUp to $70 a year
Your cart costs $29 a month; the smallest costs $23. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Low income: SCE CARE rate32.5% off the electric bill
Qualifying households receive 32.5% off their electric bills.
How: Apply online at sce.com.
Free bulky item pickupsThree free pickups a year
Residents can schedule up to three free bulky item pickups per year, with a maximum of three cubic yards or one bulky item each time.
How: Visit home.wm.com/Ridgecrest or call WM Customer Service at (760) 463-6024.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartBilled quarterly by WM. These are the rates in WM's service guide effective July 1, 2025; we could not read a newer WM rate sheet.

Value before exemptionsUnder Prop 13 your assessed value starts at your purchase price and rises at most 2% a year, so it is often below market: use the assessed value on your tax bill. Some parcels carry lighting and landscaping or other assessments listed on the bill.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,492, Insurance Information Institute (NAIC data): California average.

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 Southern California Edison bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Dec 10in 48 daysFirst property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after 5:00 P.M. on Dec 10: ten percent penalty.
Feb 15in 115 daysLast day to file a homeowners' exemption claim for the full exemption for that year.
Apr 10Second installment (due Feb 1) is delinquent after 5:00 P.M. on Apr 10: ten percent penalty plus a $10.00 advertising cost.

Who serves this house

Water: Indian Wells Valley Water District; Monthly billing schedule, rates effective January 1, 2026; the Zone Charge is assessed as a multiple of the customer's zone against their usage.
Property tax: 1.16% of value; 2025-26 tax year, Kern County (Ridgecrest tax rate area 010-002)
Garbage: WM (Waste Management); WM and the City of Ridgecrest present the residential waste and recycling service guide; residential customers are billed quarterly.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; Ridgecrest is on a list of Southern California Edison service territory cities.
Gas: PG&E; PG&E reports operating gas distribution mains and services in the Ridgecrest (Kern County) and Trona areas.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The water supply comes from 11 wells that draw water from the Indian Wells Valley Aquifer.
Arsenic: Arsenic was detected at 1.49 ppb in 2025, with no violation.
Hardness: Total hardness was 74 ppm in 2023.

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How these numbers are made

Individual bills are confidential in California, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
Water: Indian Wells Valley Water District (EPA system CA1510017), rates effective January 1, 2026, 3/4-inch meter: Ready-to-Serve $47.51 + Arsenic $13.67 = $61.18 a month, $2.67 per HCF to 20 HCF and $7.92 above; zone charges ($0.35 to $1.38 per HCF) apply to higher zones and are not included. No typical use is published, so the page starts at 9 CCF.
Sewer: the Kern County rate book footnote for Ridgecrest lists a $378.44 sewer service charge per parcel for a single-family residence, which we treat as a yearly charge on the tax bill; the footnote appears on a table page labelled 2024-2025 inside the 2025-26 book, so it may have risen. Lighting and landscaping and other assessments vary by parcel and are not included.
Trash: WM's July 1, 2025 service guide rates ($23.20, $26.15, $29.02 a month). WM's 2026-27 rate sheet (proposed July 1, 2026: $23.71, $26.73, $29.66) was blocked from download and could not be confirmed as adopted, so rates may be about 2% higher now. Billed quarterly by WM, not on the tax bill.
Property tax: Kern County 2025-26 rate book, tax rate area 010-002 (Ridgecrest inside, the area with the most homeowners' exemptions in the city); all Ridgecrest areas total 1.156682%. Rates are listed in percent, so each is divided by 100. Starting value is the Census median market value; assessed value is often lower.
Electricity: SCE serves Ridgecrest; we use its TOU-D-4 total from its joint rate comparison ($0.37830 per kWh, 659 kWh typical use) plus the $24.15 base charge; Ridgecrest's baseline region was not checked. Gas: PG&E serves Ridgecrest's gas system (a separate system from SoCalGas); Schedule G-1 baseline territory R (Kern over 1,000 ft) allowances averaged over the year give about 25 therms a month at the baseline rate. PG&E's public purpose surcharge is not included. Insurance starts at the 2022 California average.
Electricity numbers: SCE rate comparison total costs $0.37830 per kWh (generation $0.11737 plus delivery $0.26093) at 659 kWh monthly usage, plus SCE's $24.15 monthly Base Services Charge for customers not enrolled in its listed programs.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Ridgecrest house costs

What is the property tax rate in Ridgecrest?

About 1.16% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 tax year, Kern County (Ridgecrest tax rate area 010-002)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $378).

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

About $6,081 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $378 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Ridgecrest?

About $85 a month for water at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on Indian Wells Valley Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Ridgecrest?

$23 to $29 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon trash cart, 65-gallon trash cart, 95-gallon trash cart).

When is property tax due in Ridgecrest?

Dec 10: First property tax installment (due Nov 1) is delinquent after 5:00 P.M. on Dec 10: ten percent penalty. Apr 10: Second installment (due Feb 1) is delinquent after 5:00 P.M. on Apr 10: ten percent penalty plus a $10.00 advertising cost.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Ridgecrest?

Low income: SCE CARE rate: Qualifying households receive 32.5% off their electric bills. Apply online at sce.com.

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

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