Lake Forest, IL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Lake Forest 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 Lake Forest house

$21,290a year · $1,774 a month

Starts at $312,767 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$17,602
5.776% of $312,767, less $8,000 general homestead exemption
Electricity and gas$2,322
583 kWh a month $1,458 · 74.87 therms $864
Water and sewer$1,221
7,000 gallons a month on City of Lake Forest water: water $63, sewer $32, public safety pension fee $7 a month
Trash$144
Residential refuse collection, $12 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Lake Forest house costs about $21,300 a year: $17,600 property tax and charges, $1,220 water and sewer, $140 trash, $2,320 electricity and gas; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 30, 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:

Owner-occupied: general homestead exemption
Lowers the equalized assessed value of the property by $8,000.
How: Apply through the Chief County Assessment Office.
Seniors 65+: senior homestead exemption
Lowers the equalized assessed value of the property by $8,000 and may be claimed in addition to the General Homestead Exemption.
How: Apply through the Chief County Assessment Office.
Check a high water bill for a leak
The City says a higher than normal utility bill may be due to higher water consumption and links to leak-checking information.

Money dates

QuarterlyUtility billing for The City of Lake Forest is done on a quarterly basis.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Lake Forest water; The utility bill includes a water charge, water customer charge, city use tax and sewer charge.
Property tax: 5.78% of value; 2025 tax year (payable 2026), Lake County, City of Lake Forest, District 67 and High School District 115
Garbage: City of Lake Forest; All residential properties served by The City for sanitation services will be charged a Refuse Collection Fee on the utility bill.
Sewer: City of Lake Forest and North Shore Water Reclamation District; You will receive a separate bill from the North Shore Water Reclamation District for sewage treatment and disposal.
Electricity: ComEd; Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) is one of the electricity providers for the City of Lake Forest.
Gas: North Shore Gas; The North Shore Gas public utility company services the City of Lake Forest.

Pay or manage your bills

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses Lake County 2025 agency rates (per $100 of equalized assessed value): City of Lake Forest (includes library and recreation) 1.462543, School District 67 1.555617, High School District 115 1.602319, Lake County 0.519692, Forest Preserve 0.156802, College of Lake County 0.268542, North Shore Water Reclamation District 0.143690 and Shields Township 0.066497, which sum to 5.7757. Parts of the city in other school districts will differ.
The starting value is one third of the Census-based $938,300 median property value ($312,767), minus the $8,000 homeowner exemption.
Water rates are the City quarterly rates effective May 1, 2026; quarterly breakpoints (10,000 and 60,000 gallons) and the $64.05 customer charge are divided by 3 and shown monthly. The City adds a 5% city use tax on the water charge and customer charge, which is folded in (rates x 1.05). The City sewer charge ($1.24 per 1,000 gallons, set on winter use) plus the separate North Shore Water Reclamation District (NSWRD) treatment fee ($3.29 per 1,000 gallons for residential, effective May 1, 2026, per the Village of Gurnee's published NSWRD rate notice; the district's own 2019 fee ordinance still shows $2.744) are combined as the sewer per-unit rate. The $5.34 quarterly sewer customer charge and the $20 quarterly public safety pension fee are shown monthly. The City publishes no typical water use.
Electricity is ComEd delivery rates plus the October 2026-May 2027 price to compare, the Lake Forest municipal tax addition (0.628 cent per kWh for the first 2,000 kWh) and the state tax addition (0.330 cent); it is before ComEd monthly purchased electricity adjustments. Gas is North Shore Gas Service Classification 1: customer charge $21.31 plus Rider FCA $1.08 for Lake Forest and Rider LIDA $0.36, per therm distribution, storage, October 2026 Gas Charge, uncollectible factor, Rider EOA and Rider VBA, all with the 5.15% Lake Forest municipal utility tax (Rider 1) applied.
Garbage is the City Refuse Collection fee, $36.00 per quarter. Not included: homeowners insurance (no official Illinois premium survey for Lake Forest was found).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Lake Forest compares

A typical Lake Forest house against the 132 Illinois cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Lake Forest	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	5.78%	8.23%	lower than 127 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Water	$754	$872	lower than 86 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$467	$535	lower than 71 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover
Trash	$144	$283	lower than 117 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,322	$2,163	higher than 120 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Total	$21,290	$11,701	higher than 126 of the other 131 Illinois 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: Lake Forest's property tax rate is 5.78%, lower than 127 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Lake Forest is 5.78%, lower than 127 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $144 a year for the standard cart, lower than 117 of the other 127 Illinois 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 $144 a year for the standard cart, lower than 117 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

3. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,322 a year, higher than 120 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,322 a year for a typical house, higher than 120 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

Common questions about Lake Forest house costs

What is the property tax rate in Lake Forest?

About 5.78% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (payable 2026), Lake County, City of Lake Forest, District 67 and High School District 115), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $28,416 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the general homestead exemption.

How much is the water bill in Lake Forest?

About $102 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Lake Forest water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Lake Forest?

$12 a month for a house.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Lake Forest?

Yes. Seniors 65+: senior homestead exemption: Lowers the equalized assessed value of the property by $8,000 and may be claimed in addition to the General Homestead Exemption.

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

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