Louisville, KY · Updated Oct 2026

What a Louisville 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 Louisville house

$8,268a year · $689 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $233,900; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$2,956
1.264% of $233,900
Electricity and gas$2,551
910.8 kWh a month $1,476 · 53.51 therms $1,076
Water and sewer$1,401
4,000 gallons a month on Louisville Water Company: water $31, sewer $71, msd drainage service charge (single-family parcel in msd's drainage service area) $15 a month
TrashIncluded
City-managed pickup in the Urban Services District, funded by the district's property tax
Home insurance$1,359
Typical premium $1,359

A Louisville house at the typical market value ($233,900) pays about $8,300 a year: $2,960 property tax and charges, $1,400 water and sewer, $2,550 electricity and gas, $1,360 home insurance; trash is paid through property tax. 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+: homestead exemption$49,100 off assessed value
Owners 65 or older who own and live in the home as their primary residence on January 1 can take $49,100 (2025-2026 amount) off their assessed value. You do not have to reapply every year.
How: Apply online with the Jefferson County PVA or mail the homestead application with a copy of your Jefferson County driver's license or ID. Questions: 502-574-6380.
Totally disabled owners: disability exemption$49,100 off assessed value
Owners who have been classified as totally disabled for the entire year, received disability payments under that classification, and own and live in the home as their primary residence on January 1 can take $49,100 (2025-2026 amount) off their assessed value. Only one exemption (homestead or disability) is allowed per household.
How: Apply with the Jefferson County PVA before December 31 with a copy of your disability award letter.
Pay your property tax by December 1 for a 2% discount2% off the bill
Tax bills mailed November 1 can be paid with a 2% discount through December 1; from December 2 the full face amount is due.
How: Pay online at jcsoky.org/property-tax/search, by mail to the Jefferson County Sheriff, or in person at 515 W. Market St.
Seniors 65+, income $40,000 or less: MSD sewer discount30% off wastewater charges
MSD customers 65 or older with gross household income of $40,000 or less who are the primary titleholder or leaseholder get 30% off MSD's wastewater charges.
How: Ask MSD for an application (502-540-6000) and send proof of age and of last month's household income; recertify every three years.
Low income: MSD Emergency Wastewater Rate Assistance (EWRAP)30% off wastewater charges
From November 1, 2026, residential customers with household income at or below 175% of the federal poverty guidelines, or who are eligible for LIHEAP, can apply for 30% off wastewater charges. The program is limited to 3,000 customers or until funds run out, and current participants must reapply.
How: Apply and be approved by MSD; the discount is listed on Drops of Kindness (dropsofkindness.com), Louisville Water and MSD's bill-help site.
Large Item Pickup by appointmentUp to four items a week
In the Urban Services District you can schedule a curbside pickup of up to four large items, such as a couch, table or mattress, once per week.
How: Make an appointment on Louisville Metro's Junk and Bulk Trash Disposal page.

Adjust to match your bills

What you know

Value before exemptionsMost Louisville homes are outside the Urban Services District (roughly the old City of Louisville) used here. Outside it, take off 32.76¢ per $100 of value (about $766 on $233,900), add your fire district's 10–20¢, and budget for a private trash hauler. Rates shown are for the Urban Services District (the former City of Louisville). Outside it, homes pay no Urban Services District tax but most pay a fire district tax (10 to 20 cents per $100) and hire their own trash hauler.

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,359, Kentucky statewide average HO-3 homeowners premium for 2022 (NAIC data via Triple-I).

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 LG&E (Louisville Gas and Electric) bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Gas, therms a month (yearly average)

Money dates

Nov 1 – Dec 1in 9 daysPay the property tax bill with a 2% discount.
Dec 2 – Jan 2in 40 daysPay the property tax bill at the face (gross) amount.
Dec 31in 69 daysApply for the disability exemption before December 31.
Jan 3 – Feb 3in 72 daysUnpaid property tax bills are paid with a 5% penalty.

Who serves this house

Water: Louisville Water Company; Louisville Water Company 2026 residential rates for a 5/8-inch meter: a monthly service charge plus a charge per 1,000 gallons
Property tax: 1.26% of value; 2026 tax year (FY 2026-27), Jefferson County
Garbage: Louisville Metro Solid Waste Management Services; Collects garbage from homes inside the Urban Services District; outside it, unincorporated areas hire a private company
Sewer: Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD); Wastewater service charge by meter size plus a charge per 1,000 gallons; drainage charge for each single-family parcel
Electricity: LG&E (Louisville Gas and Electric); Rate RS residential service: $0.48 basic service charge a day
Gas: LG&E (Louisville Gas and Electric); Rate RGS residential gas service: $0.72 basic service charge a day
Schools: Jefferson County Public Schools; School real property tax rate 0.717 per $100 of assessed value

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Water comes directly from the Ohio River or from groundwater naturally filtered through the riverbank.
Hardness: Hardness (as CaCO3) was 128 ppm, or 7.5 grains per gallon.
Lead: In 2023 tap testing (the most recent required), 0 of 50 sites exceeded the lead action level; the 90th percentile was 1.1 ppb.
Violations: Zero water quality violations for the 19th straight year.

Other KY cities

How these numbers are made

Louisville Metro covers all of Jefferson County, but rates depend on where you live. We use the Urban Services District (the former City of Louisville), where Metro collects garbage and provides fire protection and street lights through the district's property tax. Outside the district, homes pay a fire district tax instead (10 to 20 cents per $100 in the 2025 table) and arrange their own trash pickup, and the 80-plus small cities add their own taxes; none of that is included.
Property tax: the 2026 state rate (10.3 cents per $100), Louisville Metro's 2026-27 general rate (11.64 cents) and Urban Services District rate (32.76 cents), and the JCPS rate of 71.7 cents per $100 from 2025 (the 2026-27 school rate was not yet posted), on the value you enter. The starting value is the Census median value of owner-occupied homes in Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), $233,900; your PVA assessment may differ. Kentucky's $49,100 homestead exemption is only for owners 65 and older or totally disabled, so it is listed as a tip, not taken off the typical bill.
Water: Louisville Water Company's 2026 residential rates for a 5/8-inch meter, $17.82 a month plus $1.70 per 1,000 gallons for the first 2,000 gallons, $4.70 for the next 8,000 and $4.87 above 10,000. Homes in elevated service areas pay $0.59 per 1,000 gallons more; that is not included. Starting use is Louisville Water's average customer, 4,000 gallons a month (about 5.3 CCF).
Sewer: MSD's rates from September 1, 2026, $24.48 wastewater service charge plus the $20.01 residential infrastructure surcharge a month and $6.56 per 1,000 gallons of water used, plus the $15.39 monthly drainage service charge for a single-family parcel.
Electricity: LG&E Rate RS from August 14, 2026, $0.48 a day (about $14.60 a month) and $0.11372 per kWh, plus the August 2026 billing adjustments (fuel adjustment $0.00156 and DSM $0.00206 per kWh; environmental cost recovery -0.47%, retired asset recovery 1.20% and pilot generation recovery 0.25%, which we apply to the whole bill) and the $0.30 Home Energy Assistance charge. These adjustments change every month; LG&E's residential rate is the same all year. Starting use is LG&E's 2024 residential average from EIA (about 911 kWh a month).
Gas: LG&E Rate RGS from August 14, 2026, $0.72 a day plus the $3.96 Gas Line Tracker and $0.30 Home Energy Assistance charges a month, and $1.21230 per 100 cubic feet plus the $0.01820 DSM charge, converted to therms at 1.037 therms per 100 cubic feet. The gas supply cost component changes during the year and a winter weather normalization adjustment can apply; neither change is modeled. Starting use is Kentucky's 2025 residential average from EIA (about 54 therms a month). Insurance is the 2022 Kentucky average HO-3 premium (NAIC). Taxes and local fees on utility bills are not included.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Louisville compares

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

Per year	Louisville	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.26%	1.32%	lower than 7 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Water	$367	$535	lower than 9 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,033	$745	higher than 9 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,551	$2,751	lower 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	$8,268	$8,812	lower than 8 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. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $367 a year at typical use, lower than 9 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $367 a year at typical use, lower than 9 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,033 a year, higher than 9 of the other 10 Kentucky 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 $1,033 a year, higher than 9 of the other 10 Kentucky 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 $2,551 a year, lower than 7 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $2,551 a year for a typical house, lower than 7 of the other 10 Kentucky cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Louisville house costs

What is the property tax rate in Louisville?

About 1.26% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year (FY 2026-27), Jefferson County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $6,320 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Louisville?

About $117 a month for water and sewer at typical use (4,000 gallons a month) on Louisville Water Company.

How much does trash pickup cost in Louisville?

City-managed pickup in the Urban Services District, funded by the district's property tax

When is property tax due in Louisville?

Jan 3 – Feb 3: Unpaid property tax bills are paid with a 5% penalty. Feb 4 – Apr 15: Unpaid property tax bills carry a 10% penalty and a 10% Sheriff's add-on fee; on April 15 unpaid bills go to the County Clerk.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Louisville?

Yes. Seniors 65+: homestead exemption: Owners 65 or older who own and live in the home as their primary residence on January 1 can take $49,100 (2025-2026 amount) off their assessed value. You do not have to reapply every year.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Louisville?

Low income: MSD Emergency Wastewater Rate Assistance (EWRAP): From November 1, 2026, residential customers with household income at or below 175% of the federal poverty guidelines, or who are eligible for LIHEAP, can apply for 30% off wastewater charges. The program is limited to 3,000 customers or until funds run out, and current participants must reapply. Apply and be approved by MSD; the discount is listed on Drops of Kindness (dropsofkindness.com), Louisville Water and MSD's bill-help site.

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

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