Margate, FL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Margate 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 Margate house

$14,739a year · $1,228 a month

Starts at $249,930 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$4,454
2.158% of $249,930, less $25,000 homestead exemption and less $26,411 additional homestead exemption
Flat charges on the tax bill$305
City of Margate fire rescue assessment, per residential dwelling unit (FY 2026-27) $305
Electricity$1,953
1104 kWh a month $1,775 · City of Margate public service tax $178
Water and sewer$1,448
6,000 gallons a month on City of Margate: water $60, sewer $49, stormwater utility fee, inside margate (1 eru per home; $7.25 north of coconut creek parkway, south of sample road and east of state road 7) $12 a month
Trash$444
Garbage cart (35, 65 or 95 gallons) with recycling cart, $37 a month
Home insurance$6,136
Typical premium $6,136

A typical Margate house pays about $14,700 a year: $4,760 property tax and charges, $1,450 water and sewer, $440 trash, $1,950 electricity, $6,140 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 21, 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:

Seniors 65+ living here 25 years: city tax exemptionCity taxes exempt
The Property Appraiser lists Margate among the cities that enacted the long-term residency senior exemption, which exempts the ad valorem city taxes for qualified residents. To qualify, a senior must meet the age and income limits of the low-income senior exemption, have lived in the home for at least 25 years, and have a just value under $250,000 in the first year of application.
How: File the sworn income statement with the Broward County Property Appraiser by March 1, 2027.
Veterans with a service-connected disability: exemptions$5,000 off, or a full homestead exemption
Veterans with a service-related disability of at least 10% can get a $5,000 exemption. Honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected total and permanent disability are entitled to a full exemption on their homestead.
How: Apply to the Broward County Property Appraiser with a certificate of disability from the U.S. Government or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Pay your tax bill in November for 4% off4% off the bill
Broward tax bills paid in full get 4% off in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. Partial payments forfeit the discounts.
How: Pay the Broward County Tax Collector in full in November.
Weekly bulk and yard waste pickupIncluded
Bulk and yard waste are collected once a week on your garbage day opposite your recycling day, in piles of up to three cubic yards.
How: Place items behind the curb or in the swale by 7 a.m. on your collection day.
Free document shredding twice a yearFree
Margate residents can bring up to three letter-size boxes of documents to each of the two household hazardous waste events Republic Services sponsors in the city each year, free of charge.
How: Bring your boxes to one of the city's household hazardous waste collection events.

Adjust to match your bills

What you know

Value before exemptionsUse the assessed value on your TRIM notice or the Property Appraiser's record. Bought recently? Your assessed value starts near the purchase-year market value (the 2026 median market value of Margate single-family homes is $415,470), so enter that instead.

I live here and have the Homestead exemption and Additional homestead exemption

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $6,136, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, July 2026 Insurer Stability report: Broward County average homeowners premium including wind, data as of March 31, 2026.

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 Florida Power & Light (FPL) bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Money dates

Nov 1in 9 daysProperty taxes become due November 1; paying in full in November takes 4% off (3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February).
Mar 1, 2027Deadline to timely file for the 2027 homestead exemption with the Broward County Property Appraiser.
Apr 1Taxes not paid by March 31 become delinquent on April 1, when 3% interest and advertising costs are added.
Sep 20, 2027Absolute deadline to late-file for any 2027 exemption if you missed the March 1, 2027 deadline.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Margate; City of Margate, billed monthly. Inside-city residential rates: a $19.87 water base availability charge plus $5.74 per 1,000 gallons for 0-6,000 gallons, $7.17 for 6,001-15,000, $8.61 for 15,001-25,000 and $10.04 over 25,000. A 10% utility tax applies to water charges only.
Property tax: 2.16% of value; 2026 tax year (fiscal year 2026-27), Broward County millage code 1212 (Margate)
Garbage: Republic Services; Garbage collected twice a week; $31.00 garbage plus $5.98 recycling on the monthly City of Margate utility bill
Sewer: City of Margate; Residential wastewater base availability charge of $49.34 a month inside the city
Electricity: Florida Power & Light (FPL); Residential Service (RS-1): $10.52 base charge a month plus per-kWh charges (October 2026)
Gas: Utility gas; 415 of 18,748 owner-occupied homes in Margate heat with utility gas; 17,466 heat with electricity (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Schools: Broward County School Board; 6.2940 mills for 2026 plus 0.1587 mills of school board debt

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The Biscayne Aquifer is the sole source of drinking water for the City of Margate Water Treatment Plant.
Treatment: Aeration, lime softening to reduce hardness, multi-media filtration and chloramine disinfection.
Lead: Tap sampling in June 2024: 90th percentile lead 1.13 ppb against a 15 ppb action level, with no sites over it.
PFAS: Unregulated sampling in August 2024 averaged 0.028 ppb of PFOS and 0.0065 ppb of PFOA.

Other FL cities

How these numbers are made

Florida tax bills are public, but we calculate yours from public rates and the value you enter.
Property tax: 21.5776 mills in total for Broward County millage code 1212 (Margate), 2026 final rates; it is the only millage code for the city in the Property Appraiser's table: Broward County 5.6628; School Board 6.2940 (split into 3.0460 required local effort and 3.2480 discretionary and capital from the Property Appraiser's proposed-millage table) plus 0.1587 school debt; Children's Services Council 0.4500; North Broward Hospital District 1.2391; Florida Inland Navigation District 0.0270; South Florida Water Management District 0.2301; City of Margate 7.1171 operating plus 0.3988 voted debt.
Homestead takes $25,000 off all taxes and up to $26,411 more off non-school taxes (we apply the full $26,411). The starting value is the Property Appraiser's July 2026 median market (just) value of Margate single-family homes, $415,470, which is what a recent buyer is assessed at. Owners who have held a homestead for years usually pay on a lower assessed value because of the Save Our Homes cap: the median assessed value is $249,930, so enter the assessed value from your TRIM notice for your own bill.
Flat charge on the November 2026 tax bill: the City of Margate fire rescue assessment, $305 per residential dwelling unit for FY 2026-27 (rate in the City Manager's July 8, 2026 agenda memo for the final rate resolution, reported as passed that day). The Property Appraiser's final non-ad valorem recap lists no City of Margate solid waste or stormwater assessment: in Margate those are charged on the monthly city utility bill instead.
Water, sewer, garbage and stormwater: the City of Margate's posted inside-city residential rates, which match the October 1, 2026 column of the city's 2023 water and wastewater rate study: water $19.87 a month plus $5.74 per 1,000 gallons to 6,000, $7.17 to 15,000, $8.61 to 25,000 and $10.04 above, with the 10% utility tax added to water charges (not sewer); sewer a flat $49.34 a month (no residential consumption charge); garbage $31.00 plus recycling $5.98 a month (one rate for any cart size); stormwater $11.60 a month for one ERU (homes north of Coconut Creek Parkway, south of Sample Road and east of State Road 7 pay $7.25). The page starts at 6,000 gallons a month (8.0 CCF), the city's figure for an average family of four's indoor use.
Electricity: FPL rate RS-1 effective October 2026, $10.52 a month plus 12.258¢ per kWh up to 1,000 kWh and 14.258¢ above (energy, conservation, capacity, environmental, storm protection and fuel charges less the transition credit), plus Margate's 10% public service tax on electricity applied to the whole bill (Florida law exempts the fuel charge, so this slightly overstates it). FPL's franchise fee and gross receipts tax are not included. Typical use, 1,104 kWh a month, is EIA's 2024 Florida residential average. Gas is not modeled: few Margate homes heat with utility gas. Insurance: Florida OIR's Broward County average homeowners premium with wind coverage ($6,136, data as of March 31, 2026); flood insurance is a separate policy and is not included.
Starting value: the median assessed value of Margate single-family homes ($249,930), which reflects the Save Our Homes cap on long-held homesteads, as on the neighboring Broward pages; a recent buyer is assessed nearer the $415,470 market median.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Margate compares

A typical Margate house against the 53 Florida cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Margate	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	2.16%	1.78%	higher than 49 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Water	$717	$515	higher than 40 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$731	$901	lower than 37 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Trash	$444	$364	higher than 39 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,953	$1,953	higher than 17 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Home insurance	$6,136	$3,733	higher than 39 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Total	$14,739	$12,935	higher than 37 of the other 52 Florida 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: Margate's property tax rate is 2.16%, higher than 49 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Margate is 2.16%, higher than 49 of the other 52 Florida 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 $717 a year at typical use, higher than 40 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $717 a year at typical use, higher than 40 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $444 a year for the standard cart, higher than 39 of the other 51 Florida 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 $444 a year for the standard cart, higher than 39 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

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Common questions about Margate house costs

What is the property tax rate in Margate?

About 2.16% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year (fiscal year 2026-27), Broward County millage code 1212 (Margate)), plus flat charges on the same bill (City of Margate fire rescue assessment, per residential dwelling unit (FY 2026-27) $305).

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

About $10,155 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead exemption, including $305 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Margate?

About $121 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6,000 gallons a month) on City of Margate.

How much does trash pickup cost in Margate?

$37 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Margate?

Nov 1: Property taxes become due November 1; paying in full in November takes 4% off (3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February).

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Margate?

Yes. Seniors 65+ living here 25 years: city tax exemption: The Property Appraiser lists Margate among the cities that enacted the long-term residency senior exemption, which exempts the ad valorem city taxes for qualified residents. To qualify, a senior must meet the age and income limits of the low-income senior exemption, have lived in the home for at least 25 years, and have a just value under $250,000 in the first year of application.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Margate?

Seniors 65+ living here 25 years: city tax exemption: The Property Appraiser lists Margate among the cities that enacted the long-term residency senior exemption, which exempts the ad valorem city taxes for qualified residents. To qualify, a senior must meet the age and income limits of the low-income senior exemption, have lived in the home for at least 25 years, and have a just value under $250,000 in the first year of application. File the sworn income statement with the Broward County Property Appraiser by March 1, 2027.

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

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