Zion, IL · Updated Oct 2026

What a Zion 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 Zion house

$9,344a year · $779 a month

Starts at $61,267 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$5,505
10.334% of $61,267, less $8,000 general homestead exemption
Electricity and gas$2,271
583 kWh a month $1,458 · 74.87 therms $812
Water and sewer$1,176
7,000 gallons a month on City of Zion: water $82, sewer $16 a month
Trash$392
Residential service (95-gallon cart, recycling and yard waste included), $33 a month
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A typical Zion house costs about $9,300 a year: $5,500 property tax and charges, $1,180 water and sewer, $390 trash, $2,270 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

One change saves this house about $1,362 a year:

Bring water use down to 2 units
$1,362 a year
Above 2 units a month, City of Zion charges $16.22 a unit instead of $0.00.
How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.

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's Smartfile E-Filing Portal.
Seniors 65+: senior homestead exemption
Lowers the equalized assessed value by $8,000, in addition to the General Homestead Exemption.
How: Apply through Lake County's Smartfile E-Filing Portal.
Seniors 65+: senior assessment freeze
Applicants must be 65 or older and live in the property as their principal residence for the last two January 1st dates.
How: Applicants must be 65 or older and live in the property as their principal residence for the last two January 1st dates.
Can't pay the water bill by the penalty date: ask for an extension
The owner must sign an extension contract; 50% of the bill is due that day and the balance is extended until the end of the month.
How: The owner must come in and sign the extension contract.

Money dates

First Monday after the 20th of the billing monthWater, sewer and garbage bills are due the first Monday after the 20th of the month.
After the due datePayments after the due date incur a 5% penalty on the water and sewer total.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Zion; Water rate effective October 2024; the minimum water bill covers the first 4,000 gallons; each section of the city is billed quarterly.
Property tax: 10.33% of value; 2025 tax year (payable 2026), Lake County
Garbage: Waste Management Services; The City of Zion has contracted with Waste Management Services to provide solid waste, recycling and yard waste collection.
Sewer: City of Zion; Sewer is billed on the City of Zion water and sewer bill.
Electricity: ComEd; Zion is on ComEd's municipal tax schedule.
Gas: North Shore Gas; Zion is on North Shore Gas's municipal utility tax schedule at 5.15%.
Schools: Zion Elementary D6 / Zion-Benton High D126; Zion Elementary School District #6 and Zion Benton High School Dist #126 levy on Zion property.

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The City of Zion purchases all of its water from Lake County Public Water District.
Lead: Lead (ppb), 2025: 90th percentile 13.1; 6 of 60 sites above the action level of 15.
Monitoring: The City of Zion was in violation of the lead and copper monitoring program because only 27 of the 30 analytical samples were uploaded.

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses Lake County's 2025 rates (percent per $100 of equalized assessed value) for the Zion tax code: Zion Elementary D6, Zion-Benton High D126, the City, Zion Park District, Lake County, Forest Preserve, College of Lake County, Zion-Benton Library and Zion Township. The City's rate includes its own police and fire levies; special service areas (e.g. Brighton Ponds SSA) are not included.
The starting value is one third of the Census-based $183,800 median property value ($61,267), minus the $8,000 homeowner exemption.
Water $12.13 and sewer $2.43 per 1,000 gallons are the October 2024 rates on the city's page, which bills quarterly; the page's 4,000-gallon minimum is not modelled because a typical household uses more. Garbage is the $98.00 quarterly charge divided by 3.
Electricity is ComEd delivery plus the October 2026-May 2027 price to compare, plus the Zion municipal tax (0.628 cents) and state additions (0.330 cents) per kWh; Zion's aggregation program matches the ComEd price. Gas is North Shore Gas Rate 1 heating sales with the 5.15% Zion municipal utility tax; the gas charge includes the 0.0082 uncollectible factor, and other small riders and state charges are not included.
Homeowners insurance is not included (no official premium survey found).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Zion compares

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

Per year	Zion	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	10.33%	8.23%	higher than 115 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Water	$980	$872	higher than 84 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$196	$535	lower than 104 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover
Trash	$392	$283	higher than 121 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,271	$2,163	higher than 106 of the other 131 Illinois cities we cover
Total	$9,344	$11,701	lower than 106 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: Zion's property tax rate is 10.33%, higher than 115 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 Zion is 10.33%, higher than 115 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $196 a year, lower than 104 of the other 123 Illinois 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 $196 a year, lower than 104 of the other 123 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $392 a year for the standard cart, higher than 121 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 $392 a year for the standard cart, higher than 121 of the other 127 Illinois cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $2,271 a year, higher than 106 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 $2,271 a year for a typical house, higher than 106 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 Zion house costs

What is the property tax rate in Zion?

About 10.33% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (payable 2026), Lake County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $50,844 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the general homestead exemption.

How much is the water bill in Zion?

About $98 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Zion.

How much does trash pickup cost in Zion?

$33 a month for a house.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Zion?

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

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

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