Santa Rosa, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Santa Rosa home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Santa Rosa house

$15,888a year · $1,324 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $713,900; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$8,101
1.146% of $713,900, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$173
Sonoma County mosquito abatement $12 · Rincon Valley Union Elementary special tax $119 · Santa Rosa storm water assessment (varies by parcel) $30 · SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax (Measure AA) $12
Electricity and gas$3,421
500 kWh a month $2,442 · 31.72 therms $979
Water and sewer$2,209
7,000 gallons a month on City of Santa Rosa Water: water $73, sewer $111 a month
Trash$491
32-gal garbage, $41 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

Shopping for home insurance?

Insurers charge very different prices for the same house and coverage. California's free premium survey lists each insurer's price.

Compare insurers' prices

A Santa Rosa house at the typical market value ($713,900) costs about $15,900 a year: $8,270 property tax and charges, $2,210 water and sewer, $490 trash, $3,420 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 28, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

One change saves this house about $70 a year:

Bring water use down to 6 units
$70 a year
Above 6 units a month, City of Santa Rosa Water charges $12.07 a unit instead of $10.33.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.

Worth checking

Switch to the 20-gal garbage cartUp to $54 a year
Your cart costs $41 a month; the smallest costs $36. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Recology Cares: 15% off your Recology bill15% off garbage
Households in Santa Rosa may be eligible for a 15% discount on their Recology bill. Participation in the PG&E CARE program qualifies you.
How: Apply through Recology Cares; the name and address on the PG&E and Recology accounts must match.
Single-family homes with no irrigation: all water at Tier 1No Tier 2 rate
The city rate table bills all use at the residential Tier 1 rate for single-family residential accounts with no irrigation needs (Z=Y).
How: Ask Santa Rosa Water at 707-543-3150 whether your account is marked Z=Y.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartThe rate depends on the garbage cart size; recycling and compost are included at no extra charge.

Value before exemptionsEnter the net taxable value from your tax bill: under Prop 13 it is often well below what the house would sell for. The city storm water assessment was $29.60 and $43.52 on two bills we sampled in this area, and the Rincon Valley elementary tax applies only in that school district. Other Santa Rosa areas (e.g. Santa Rosa City Schools) have different school bonds and charges.

I live here and have the Homeowners' exemption

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, thousands of gallons a month

On your water bill. A typical house uses 5,000–8,000 gallons.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your PG&E delivery with Sonoma Clean Power CleanStart generation bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 30, 2026in 26 daysLast day of Sonoma County's 2026 assessment appeal filing period (opened July 2).
Feb 1in 89 daysSecond installment is due and becomes delinquent at 5:00 p.m. on April 10.
Feb 15in 103 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for that year.
Nov 1First installment of the annual property tax bill is due November 1 and becomes delinquent at 5:00 p.m. on December 10.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Santa Rosa Water; Santa Rosa Water rate table of July 1, 2026: a $15.84 fixed fee for a 5/8" or 3/4" meter, plus $7.73 per 1,000 gallons up to the sewer cap and $9.03 per 1,000 gallons above it, for single-family homes
Property tax: 1.15% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Sonoma County (Santa Rosa tax rate area 004-009)
Garbage: Recology Sonoma Marin; Recology lists weekly curbside garbage, recyclables and organic waste monthly rates for Santa Rosa, effective January 1, 2026.
Electricity: PG&E delivery with Sonoma Clean Power CleanStart generation; Sonoma Clean Power is the default electricity generation provider in Sonoma County; PG&E delivers the power and sends one monthly bill with both companies' charges.
Gas: PG&E; Santa Rosa is in PG&E's gas service territory.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Rate schedule: On April 1, 2025, Santa Rosa City Council adopted a 5-year rate schedule, with adjustments on July 1 of each year for 2026 through 2029.
Typical home: The city describes its average customer as a household of four people with a 5/8-inch meter, using 7,000 gallons of water per billing cycle.

Other CA cities

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How these numbers are made

Garbage: Recology Sonoma Marin Santa Rosa residential rates effective January 1, 2026 ($36.39 / $40.92 / $59.75 / $91.52 a month for 20 / 32 / 64 / 96 gallons, recycling and compost included). The page starts at the 32-gallon cart. The Recology page does not say how often it bills.
Water and sewer: Santa Rosa Water rate table (undated; the 2026 values). Water: $15.84 fixed plus $7.73 / $9.03 per thousand gallons below / above the sewer cap. Sewer: $31.26 fixed plus $17.70 per thousand gallons up to the cap. Both use the city's average household: 7,000 gallons a month of water and a 4,500-gallon sewer cap; your own cap is set from your winter use.
Property tax: Sonoma County 2026-27 rates for tax rate area 004-009 (Rincon Valley Union Elementary and Santa Rosa High School District), the Santa Rosa area with the most homeowners' exemptions in the county code area recap (about 5,600 homes at $7,000 each; 004-002, the Santa Rosa City Schools area, had about 3,900). Rates total 1.146%, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. Flat charges are from a 2026-27 secured bill in that area. Other Santa Rosa areas have different school bonds and charges.
Electricity and gas: the same PG&E schedule E-1, Sonoma Clean Power CleanStart and PG&E G-1 build-up as neighboring Sonoma County cities, assuming territory X baselines (Santa Rosa lies inland of the shoreline portion that is territory T). Typical use is PG&E's EIA 2024 residential average (about 500 kWh a month) and California's 2024 residential gas average (about 32 therms a month). Insurance is a dated statewide figure, not a Santa Rosa one: the 2022 California average homeowners premium (NAIC via the Insurance Information Institute) until you enter your own; newer averages and wildfire-area premiums are likely higher.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Santa Rosa compares

A typical Santa Rosa house against the 285 California cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Santa Rosa	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.15%	1.13%	higher than 176 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Water	$879	$927	lower than 155 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,331	$596	higher than 189 of the other 196 California cities we cover
Trash	$491	$452	higher than 161 of the other 267 California cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,421	$3,421	higher than 139 of the other 284 California cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	lower than 1 of the other 272 California cities we cover
Total	$15,888	$14,432	higher than 178 of the other 284 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,331 a year, higher than 189 of the other 196 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 $1,331 a year, higher than 189 of the other 196 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Santa Rosa house costs

What is the property tax rate in Santa Rosa?

About 1.15% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Sonoma County (Santa Rosa tax rate area 004-009)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sonoma County mosquito abatement $12, Rincon Valley Union Elementary special tax $119, Santa Rosa storm water assessment (varies by parcel) $30, SF Bay Restoration Authority parcel tax (Measure AA) $12).

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

About $5,822 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homeowners' exemption, including $173 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Santa Rosa?

About $184 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Santa Rosa Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Santa Rosa?

$36 to $92 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 Santa Rosa?

Feb 1: Second installment is due and becomes delinquent at 5:00 p.m. on April 10. Nov 1: First installment of the annual property tax bill is due November 1 and becomes delinquent at 5:00 p.m. on December 10.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Santa Rosa?

Recology Cares: 15% off your Recology bill: Households in Santa Rosa may be eligible for a 15% discount on their Recology bill. Participation in the PG&E CARE program qualifies you. Apply through Recology Cares; the name and address on the PG&E and Recology accounts must match.

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

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