Tustin, CA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Tustin 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 Tustin house

$17,240a year · $1,437 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $950,400; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$10,221
1.083% of $950,400, less $7,000 homeowners' exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$418
Sewer $397 · Metropolitan Water District water standby charge $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$1,275
18 units (CCF) a month on City of Tustin Water Services: water $106 a month
Trash$278
Standard trash, recycling and organics service (35, 65 or 95 gallon set), $23 a month
Home insurance$1,492
Typical premium $1,492

A Tustin house at the typical market value ($950,400) pays about $17,200 a year: $10,640 property tax and charges, $1,270 water, $280 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:

Free bulky item pickup
The City of Tustin rate schedule lists bulky items collection (4 items per pick-up) as 4 free per year; a 5th pick-up is $36.93.
How: Contact CR&R at (714) 372-8272.
Free electronic waste and sharps collection
The rate schedule lists electronic waste collection and sharps collection at no charge.
How: Both appear as no-charge items on the City of Tustin residential service rate schedule.
Homeowners' exemption: $7,000 off assessed value$7,000 off assessed value
If you own and occupy your principal place of residence on January 1, you may apply for a Homeowners' Exemption that will exempt $7,000 of your home's assessed value from taxation.
How: A first-time claim filed by February 15 gets the full exemption for that year.
CARE or FERA customers: lower SCE base charge$6.00 a month instead of $24.15
SCE's Base Services Charge is $6.00 a month for customers enrolled in the income-qualified CARE program and $12.08 for FERA-enrolled customers, instead of $24.15.
How: Enrollment is through SCE income-qualified programs such as CARE and FERA.

Adjust to match your bills

What you know

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.

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 Tustin house uses about 18.

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.
Jan 1, 2027in 70 daysCity of Tustin water rates rise: $64.41 bimonthly fixed service charge for a 5/8" or 3/4" meter and $4.65 per unit.
Feb 15in 115 daysLast day for a first-time homeowners' exemption claim to get the full exemption for the year.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Tustin Water Services; City of Tustin water rates effective 1/1/2026: a bimonthly fixed service charge of $59.09 for a 5/8" or 3/4" meter plus a bimonthly consumption charge of $4.26 per unit (1 unit = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons).
Property tax: 1.08% of value; 2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 13-001)
Garbage: CR&R Incorporated; The City of Tustin contracts with CR&R Incorporated for trash and recycling services; the customer pays CR&R directly.
Sewer: OC San (regional fee); OC San's sewer service fee is an annual charge that appears on your property tax bill.
Electricity: Southern California Edison; Tustin is on SCE's list of service territory cities.
Gas: SoCalGas; Southern California Gas Company lists Tustin among the cities it serves.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Local groundwater, plus treated surface water purchased from MWDSC and treated groundwater purchased from East Orange County Water District.
PFAS: State drinking water standards for PFAS in groundwater led the City to turn off several groundwater wells and replace that supply with imported water.
Public health goals: The City's 2025 Public Health Goals report lists bromate and gross alpha among constituents detected above a public health goal at one or more locations.

Some Tustin homes (for example in tax rate area 13-006) are in Irvine Ranch Water District, which charges different rates not shown here; check the provider on your water bill.

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 Tustin rates effective January 1, 2026): the $59.09 bimonthly fixed charge for a 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch meter, shown as $29.55 a month, plus $4.26 per unit (HCF) for all water used. The page starts at 18 units a month: the City's rate notice says the average single-family customer uses 36 units every two months.
Trash: CR&R's single-family rate effective July 1, 2026 is $23.18 a month for the standard trash, recycling and organics set, billed by CR&R directly and not on the property tax bill. Sewer: OC San's $397 regional fee is on the property tax bill; the City's own local sewer maintenance charge, if any, was not found and is not included.
Property tax: tax rate area 13-001 (the 1% levy, Tustin Unified School District bonds and the Metropolitan Water District levy), 1.08342% for 2026-27 from the Orange County tax rate book, less the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. Other Tustin tax rate areas differ (Santa Ana Unified and Orange Unified areas with Rancho Santiago CCD bonds pay 1.05993% to 1.14059%; areas in Irvine Ranch Water District add its levies). Flat charges: Metropolitan's $10.09 water standby charge for MWDOC parcels and the two countywide Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District assessments. Assessment district or Mello-Roos charges 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 and gas use the same SCE Domestic rate with SCE generation, $24.15 Base Services Charge and SoCalGas average-bill method as the Costa Mesa page (SCE rates as of June 1, 2026; SoCalGas August 2026). Insurance starts at the 2022 California average; Tustin homes are worth more than average, so quotes are likely higher.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Tustin compares

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

Per year	Tustin	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.08%	1.13%	lower than 91 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Water	$1,275	$955	higher than 95 of the other 109 California cities we cover
Trash	$278	$438	lower than 99 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	$17,240	$15,240	higher than 77 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: Tustin's property tax rate is 1.08%, lower than 91 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 Tustin is 1.08%, lower than 91 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. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $1,275 a year at typical use, higher than 95 of the other 109 California cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $1,275 a year at typical use, higher than 95 of the other 109 California cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $278 a year for the standard cart, lower than 99 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 $278 a year for the standard cart, lower than 99 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 Tustin house costs

What is the property tax rate in Tustin?

About 1.08% of the value before exemptions a year (2026-27 tax year, Orange County (tax rate area 13-001)), plus flat charges on the same bill (Sewer $397, Metropolitan Water District water standby charge $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 Tustin?

About $5,760 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 Tustin?

About $106 a month for water at typical use (18 units, or 13,464 gallons a month) on City of Tustin Water Services.

How much does trash pickup cost in Tustin?

$23 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Tustin?

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 Tustin?

CARE or FERA customers: lower SCE base charge: SCE's Base Services Charge is $6.00 a month for customers enrolled in the income-qualified CARE program and $12.08 for FERA-enrolled customers, instead of $24.15. Enrollment is through SCE income-qualified programs such as CARE and FERA.

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

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