Covington, KY · Updated Oct 2026

What a Covington 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 Covington house

$8,564a year · $714 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $187,300; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Covington house at the typical market value ($187,300) pays about $8,600 a year: $2,810 property tax and charges, $1,290 water and sewer, $190 trash, $2,920 electricity and gas, $1,360 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:

Seniors 65+: homestead exemption$49,100 off assessed value
Owners 65 or older (or totally disabled) who own and occupy their home as of January 1 can take $49,100 off its taxable value for 2025 and 2026. If only one spouse is 65, the age requirement is met.
How: Apply to the Kenton County PVA during the year you want the exemption, with a Kentucky driver's license or state ID as proof of age.
Totally disabled owners: disability exemption$49,100 off assessed value
Owners classified as totally disabled under a federal program or a retirement system, who kept that classification for the entire year and received disability payments under it, can take $49,100 off their assessed value for 2025 and 2026.
How: Apply to the Kenton County PVA before December 31.
Pay your county tax bill by November 1 for 2% off2% off the bill
Kenton County tax bills paid October 1 to November 1 are the face amount less 2%; from November 2 to December 31 the face amount is due.
How: Pay online through the Kenton County Online Records website. The Sheriff's Office also has a partnership with Heritage Bank for taxpayers who prefer a personal touch.
Low income: SD1 Customer Assistance Program20% off sewer bills
SD1 customers at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (200% for customers 65 or older) with a usage factor of 2 or 3 on a recent SD1 bill can get a 20% discount on residential sanitary sewer bills.
How: Contact the Brighton Center at 859-491-8303, ext. 2378.

Money dates

Oct 1 – Nov 1todayPay the Kenton County tax bill at the face amount less 2%.
Nov 2 – Dec 31in 10 daysPay the Kenton County tax bill at the face amount.
Nov 7, 2026in 15 daysCovington property owners have until November 7, 2026 to pay city property taxes without a penalty.
Dec 31in 69 daysApply for the disability exemption before December 31.

Who serves this house

Water: Northern Kentucky Water District; Northern Kentucky Water District's normal billing cycle is quarterly (except for subdistrict accounts): a quarterly service charge by meter size plus a charge per cubic foot of water
Property tax: 1.50% of value; 2026 tax year, Kenton County
Garbage: City of Covington (Rumpke); Individual homes are assessed an annual fee for weekly collection of trash (and optional recycling)
Sewer: Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1); Monthly base rate with the first 2 HCF, plus a charge per HCF above that
Electricity: Duke Energy Kentucky; Rate RS residential service
Gas: Duke Energy Kentucky; Rate RS residential service
Schools: Covington Independent Public Schools; The board set its property tax rate at 86.8 cents per $100 for 2026-27

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: NKWD's Fort Thomas and Memorial Parkway treatment plants draw water from the Ohio River; the Taylor Mill plant's source is the Licking River.
Lead: In 2024 tap testing (the most recent required), 0 of 51 sites were above the 15 ppb lead action level; 90% of taps tested were below 2 ppb.

Other KY cities

What a Louisville house pays What a Independence house pays What a Lexington house pays What a Georgetown house pays What a Shelbyville house pays What a Bowling Green house pays What a Fort Thomas house pays What a Erlanger house pays What a Mount Washington house pays What a St. Matthews house pays What a Elizabethtown house pays What a Richmond house pays What a Versailles house pays What a Bardstown house pays What a Lyndon house pays What a Shepherdsville house pays What a Alexandria house pays

How these numbers are made

Property tax: the 2026 state rate (10.3 cents per $100), Kenton County's 2026 rate (11.3 cents), the City of Covington's 2026 rate (26.2 cents) and Covington Independent Public Schools' 2026-27 rate (86.8 cents), plus the 2025 rates for health (2.3), PDS (1.8), library (10.1) and cooperative extension (1.1), on the value you enter. Kentucky's $49,100 homestead exemption is only for owners 65 and older or totally disabled, so it is a tip, not taken off the typical bill.
Trash: the city's annual fee of $188.36 for a single-family home, divided by 12. The city's trash page labels that figure the 2024 basic rate and its finance page calls it current with no year; a 2026 rate was not confirmed. Covington bills it once a year; unpaid amounts are added to the property tax bill. The trash page also mentions a 'homestead fee' of $113 without saying who qualifies, so it is not used.
Water: Northern Kentucky Water District rates on quarterly billing: the $45.20 quarterly charge for a 5/8-inch meter (about $15.07 a month) and $5.52 per CCF for the first 15 CCF a month, $5.13 per CCF above that. Homes in an NKWD subdistrict can pay an extra monthly surcharge that is not included. Starting use is NKWD's average quarterly bill of 12,000 gallons, about 5.3 CCF a month.
Sewer and stormwater: SD1's rates from July 1, 2026, a $40.00 base rate (first 2 HCF) plus the $5.00 environmental surcharge a month and $4.00 per HCF above 2 HCF. The city charges its own $4.54 monthly storm water fee in place of SD1's. The $4.54 storm water fee comes from an undated city finance page.
Electricity and gas: Duke Energy Kentucky Rate RS from September 1, 2026, with the fuel adjustment (electric) and the pipeline modernization and demand side management charges (gas). Starting use is the EIA 2024 Duke Energy Kentucky residential average and Kentucky's 2025 residential gas average. Insurance is the 2022 Kentucky average HO-3 premium (NAIC). Gas: the $20.30 fixed charge is the $20.00 customer charge plus the $0.30 monthly HEA charge; the $1.7324 per therm is ($1.51209 base + $0.01444 DSMR + $0.27 PMM) per CCF divided by 1.037 therms per CCF, and the WNA and other adjustments are not included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Covington compares

A typical Covington house against the 11 Kentucky cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Covington	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.50%	1.32%	higher than 8 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Water	$535	$535	higher than 4 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$755	$745	higher than 6 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Trash	$188	$235	lower than 5 of the other 5 Kentucky cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,919	$2,751	higher than 7 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,359	$1,359	in the middle of 10 other Kentucky cities we cover
Total	$8,564	$8,812	lower than 6 of the other 10 Kentucky 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: Covington's property tax rate is 1.50%, higher than 8 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Covington is 1.50%, higher than 8 of the other 10 Kentucky 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 $188 a year for the standard cart, lower than 5 of the other 5 Kentucky 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 $188 a year for the standard cart, lower than 5 of the other 5 Kentucky 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 Covington house costs

What is the property tax rate in Covington?

About 1.50% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year, Kenton County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $7,495 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Covington?

About $108 a month for water and sewer at typical use (5.3476 units, or 4,000 gallons a month) on Northern Kentucky Water District.

How much does trash pickup cost in Covington?

$16 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Covington?

Nov 7, 2026: Covington property owners have until November 7, 2026 to pay city property taxes without a penalty.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Covington?

Yes. Seniors 65+: homestead exemption: Owners 65 or older (or totally disabled) who own and occupy their home as of January 1 can take $49,100 off its taxable value for 2025 and 2026. If only one spouse is 65, the age requirement is met.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Covington?

Low income: SD1 Customer Assistance Program: SD1 customers at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (200% for customers 65 or older) with a usage factor of 2 or 3 on a recent SD1 bill can get a 20% discount on residential sanitary sewer bills. Contact the Brighton Center at 859-491-8303, ext. 2378.

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

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