Sarasota, FL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Sarasota 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 Sarasota house

$14,036a year · $1,170 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $463,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Sarasota house at the typical market value ($463,000) pays about $14,100 a year: $6,610 property tax and charges, $1,780 water and sewer, $420 trash, $1,780 electricity, $3,460 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 20, 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:

Pay your tax bill in November4% off the bill
The Sarasota County Tax Collector gives 4% off for paying in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February; the gross amount is due by March 31.
How: Pay in November for the largest discount.
Water leak bill adjustment
Leak adjustments apply to potable drinking water leaks at your home (service line, slab leaks, backflow leaks and water heater; not toilets, irrigation, pressure cleaning or landscape) under the conditions on the City's Request for Billing Adjustment Form. You can also request a water leak detection kit.
How: Use the City's Request for Billing Adjustment Form.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartSingle-family homes get one City trash cart (no bigger than 96 gallons); a second cart costs extra.

Value before exemptionsThe assessed or appraised value on your tax bill or notice, before exemptions (not the "taxable" line).

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

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $3,457, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, July 2026 Insurer Stability report: Sarasota 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 tax bills are sent by November 1; paying in November takes 4% off (3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February).
Mar 1Deadline to file for homestead, senior, disability and other exemptions for the current tax year.
Mar 31The full (gross) property tax amount is due.
Apr 1Unpaid 2026 property taxes become delinquent (taxes become delinquent on April 1 of the following year).

Who serves this house

Water: City of Sarasota Utilities; City of Sarasota Utilities charges a monthly base charge for a single-family home's 5/8-inch meter plus tiered monthly usage charges per 1,000 gallons
Property tax: 1.49% of value; 2026 tax year for the City of Sarasota (fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2026); 2025 certified rates for county, school and district parts
Garbage: City of Sarasota Solid Waste Division; Call 941-263-6170 for garbage pick-up, yard waste and residential recycling
Sewer: City of Sarasota Utilities; Charged on water use for homes that also get City water
Electricity: FPL; Florida Power & Light serves Sarasota; standard residential rate RS-1
Gas: Utility gas is rare; 788 of 14,799 owner-occupied homes in Sarasota heat with utility gas; 13,701 heat with electricity (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Schools: Sarasota County School Board; Levies 6.095 mills in all (2.847 state + 3.248 local), 2025 tax year

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Deep-water wells tapping the Upper Floridan aquifer, mainly the Verna Wellfield 15 miles east of the city and the Downtown Wellfield; treated by reverse osmosis and ion exchange softening, then blended.
Lead: 2025 tap sampling in homes: 90th percentile lead 1.0 ppb, under the 15 ppb action level, with no sites over it.
Standards: The City's 2025 Water Quality Report says the drinking water meets all health and safety standards.

Other FL cities

How these numbers are made

Property tax uses the City of Sarasota's 2026 millage (3.2730 operating + 0.1305 debt = 3.4035) plus the 2025 certified Sarasota County rates (county 4.6487 + EMS 0.7300 + School Board 6.0950), 14.8785 mills in all, on taxable value after the $25,000 + up to $26,411 homestead exemptions, for a home with no special district (parts of the city also pay the Downtown Improvement District, Golden Gate Point or other special district rates).
The tax bill's county fire assessment is charged by building square footage ($ per 100 sq ft); the calculator uses a 2,500 sq ft home at the FY2026 single-family rate ($11.70 per 100 sq ft) plus the proposed FY2027 increase of $2.44 a month, $321.78 a year. Bigger or smaller homes pay more or less. The stormwater non-ad valorem charge (City/County base charge) is not included because its current rate could not be read from a public document.
Water, sewer and garbage use the City of Sarasota utility rates brochure marked current as of September 1, 2026: water $22.02 base plus $4.45-$17.04 per 1,000 gallons in five tiers; sewer $30.30 base plus $8.82 / $10.39 per 1,000 gallons; one curbside trash cart $35.05 a month.
Sewer has two usage tiers; the calculator folds them into $24.02 + $10.39 per 1,000 gallons (30.30 - 4 x (10.39 - 8.82)), which equals the City's charge in any month over 4,000 gallons and is up to $6.28 low below that.
The starting home value is the Census median value of owner-occupied units (all types, not only single-family houses) and is a market value; a long-held homestead's assessed value is often lower because of the Save Our Homes cap.
Electricity uses FPL's October 2026 residential rate RS-1 ($10.52 a month plus 12.258 cents per kWh up to 1,000 kWh and 14.258 cents above, all per-kWh clauses included). Taxes and franchise fees on the FPL bill are not included. The calculator applies these October 2026 rates to every month of the year; FPL's clause charges can change during the year.
Gas is left out because about 5% of owner-occupied homes in the city heat with utility gas.
Insurance starts at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation's Sarasota County average premium including wind ($3,457, data as of March 31, 2026) until you enter your own; flood insurance is a separate policy and is not included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Sarasota compares

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

Per year	Sarasota	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.49%	1.78%	lower than 46 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Water	$650	$515	higher than 32 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,128	$901	higher than 41 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Trash	$421	$364	higher than 35 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,775	$1,953	lower than 39 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover
Home insurance	$3,457	$3,733	lower than 41 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover
Total	$14,036	$12,935	higher than 32 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: Sarasota's property tax rate is 1.49%, lower than 46 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 Sarasota is 1.49%, lower than 46 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,128 a year, higher than 41 of the other 51 Florida 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 $1,128 a year, higher than 41 of the other 51 Florida cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,775 a year, lower than 39 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,775 a year for a typical house, lower than 39 of the other 52 Florida cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Sarasota house costs

What is the property tax rate in Sarasota?

About 1.49% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year for the City of Sarasota (fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2026); 2025 certified rates for county, school and district parts), plus flat charges on the same bill (County fire assessment (2,500 sq ft home, FY2027 as proposed) $322).

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

About $7,157 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead exemption, including $322 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Sarasota?

About $148 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Sarasota Utilities.

How much does trash pickup cost in Sarasota?

$35 to $63 a month, depending on the trash cart size (One cart (curbside), Two carts (curbside)).

When is property tax due in Sarasota?

Mar 31: The full (gross) property tax amount is due. Apr 1: Unpaid 2026 property taxes become delinquent (taxes become delinquent on April 1 of the following year).

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

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