Saginaw, MI · Updated Oct 2026

What a Saginaw 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 Saginaw house

$7,089a year · $591 a month

Starts at $23,300 of taxable value. Typical use.

A typical Saginaw house pays about $7,100 a year: $1,300 property tax and charges, $1,640 water and sewer, $250 trash, $2,840 electricity and gas, $1,060 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:

Principal Residence Exemption
A principal residence exemption exempts an owner's principal residence from the local school operating millage, up to 18 mills.
How: File a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit (Form 2368) with the assessor for the city where the property is located.
Seniors 62+ with income under $40,000: summer tax interest deferral
Senior citizens who are 62 or older, make less than $40,000 annually and occupy the home as their Principal Residence may file the Senior Deferment Application; it defers interest on the summer tax bill until February 14.
How: File the application with the City cashier before September 15; late applications are not accepted.
ACH AutoPay for the water/sewer bill
The City says there are no processing fees for ACH AutoPay of the Water/Sewer Utility Bill.
How: Enroll during the online payment process.
Free compost
Compost is available to city residents free of charge if self-loaded.
How: The compost site is on Veterans Memorial Highway next to the Sewage Treatment Plant and is open to the public April 1 through November 30.
Lower incomes: Michigan Homestead Property Tax CreditUp to $1,900
Tax year 2025 limits: maximum taxable value $165,400, total household resources limit $71,500, phase-out above $62,500, credit limit $1,900.
How: See the Michigan Department of Treasury's Homestead Property Tax Credit information.

Money dates

Oct 31, 2026in 8 daysTrash Roll (rubbish) bills are issued each August 1 and are due by the end of October without penalty; if the last day of October falls outside the typical business week, the due date may be offset into the first week of November
Nov 1in 9 daysDeadline to file a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit (Form 2368) for the winter tax levy
Feb 14in 114 daysThe winter (County) property tax bill is mailed December 1 and is due on or before February 14 (the next business day if the 14th falls on a Saturday or Sunday); a flat 3% penalty is added on February 15
Jun 1File a Principal Residence Exemption Affidavit by June 1 to lower that year's taxes starting with the summer levy

Who serves this house

Water: City of Saginaw; City of Saginaw fee schedule, FY2026 column: monthly readiness-to-serve charge for a 5/8 inch meter, a service line replacement rider, and a charge per 1,000 gallons used per month
Property tax: 7.38% of value; 2025 tax year, Saginaw City with Saginaw City School District
Garbage: City of Saginaw; Weekly rubbish collection with biweekly curbside recycling
Sewer: City of Saginaw; Wastewater treatment facility on a combined sewer system
Electricity: Consumers Energy; Saginaw is listed in Consumers Energy's electric territory
Gas: Consumers Energy; Saginaw is listed in Consumers Energy's gas territory

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The City's water treatment division supplies the City and over 20 additional neighboring communities.

Other MI cities

What a Beverly Hills house pays What a Mount Pleasant house pays What a Wyoming house pays What a Battle Creek house pays What a Grand Rapids house pays What a Marquette house pays What a Midland house pays What a Owosso house pays

How these numbers are made

Property tax: the State of Michigan 2025 total rate for Saginaw City with Saginaw City School District, including the police and fire millage, is 55.8221 mills for a principal residence and 73.8221 mills otherwise; the 18-mill difference is the school operating millage a Principal Residence Exemption removes. The 2026 rates are not yet published by the State, though the City's FY 2027 budget sets its own levy at 13.4861 mills (5.9861 operating plus 7.5 police and fire). The City also adds a 1% administration fee on the winter bill, which is not in these rates.
Taxable value: we start at $23,300, the City's stated average taxable value in its FY 2027 budget. Enter your own taxable value from your bill; owners who bought years ago are usually below it.
Water and sewer: City fee schedule, FY2026 column (the newest column printed), 5/8-inch meter, billed monthly: water $8.23 plus a $6.91 service line replacement rider plus $5.31 per 1,000 gallons ($3.97 per ccf); sewer $39.65 plus $6.89 per 1,000 gallons ($5.15 per ccf). A July 2026 increase may exist that the schedule does not show. The water use default is the page's generic typical, not a Saginaw figure.
Garbage: the $250 yearly household rubbish fee (Rubbish $250.00 in the fee schedule) is billed on a separate Trash Roll bill, not the property tax bill; the page shows 1/12 of it a month. Recycling and yard waste are covered by the same fee per the City budget description.
Electricity: Michigan Public Service Commission September 1, 2026 comparison for Consumers Energy ($9.50 plus 23.5 cents per kWh); gas: its September 1, 2026 comparison for Consumers Energy ($17.00 plus distribution and gas cost recovery per Ccf, converted at 1.037 therms per Ccf). Typical use is the Michigan statewide EIA average, not Saginaw. Insurance: 2022 NAIC statewide average. Saginaw also levies a city income tax, not modelled here.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Saginaw compares

A typical Saginaw house against the 320 cities we cover nationwide, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Saginaw	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	7.38%	1.23%	higher than 314 of the other 314 cities we cover nationwide
Water	$611	$654	lower than 177 of the other 319 cities we cover nationwide
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,032	$735	higher than 229 of the other 284 cities we cover nationwide
Trash	$250	$379	lower than 206 of the other 249 cities we cover nationwide
Electricity and gas	$2,839	$2,743	higher than 175 of the other 319 cities we cover nationwide
Home insurance	$1,056	$1,492	lower than 279 of the other 314 cities we cover nationwide
Total	$7,089	$11,671	lower than 298 of the other 319 cities we cover nationwide

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: Saginaw's property tax rate is 7.38%, higher than 314 of the other 314 cities we cover nationwide. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Saginaw is 7.38%, higher than 314 of the other 314 cities we cover nationwide. 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 $1,032 a year, higher than 229 of the other 284 cities we cover nationwide. 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 $1,032 a year, higher than 229 of the other 284 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $250 a year for the standard cart, lower than 206 of the other 249 cities we cover nationwide. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $250 a year for the standard cart, lower than 206 of the other 249 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Saginaw house costs

What is the property tax rate in Saginaw?

About 5.58% of taxable value a year for an owner's principal residence, or 7.38% without the Principal Residence Exemption (2025 tax year, Saginaw City with Saginaw City School District).

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

A house bought for $500,000 starts at about $250,000 of taxable value (50% of its value), so about $13,956 a year with the principal residence exemption. After that, taxable value rises by inflation or 5%, whichever is lower, until the house sells again.

How much is the water bill in Saginaw?

About $137 a month for water and sewer at typical use (9 units, or 6,732 gallons a month) on City of Saginaw.

How much does trash pickup cost in Saginaw?

$21 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Saginaw?

Feb 14: The winter (County) property tax bill is mailed December 1 and is due on or before February 14 (the next business day if the 14th falls on a Saturday or Sunday); a flat 3% penalty is added on February 15 Jul 31, 2027: The summer (City) property tax bill is due on or before July 31, or the next business day if the 31st falls on a weekend; penalty and interest are added on August 1

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Saginaw?

Yes. Seniors 62+ with income under $40,000: summer tax interest deferral: Senior citizens who are 62 or older, make less than $40,000 annually and occupy the home as their Principal Residence may file the Senior Deferment Application; it defers interest on the summer tax bill until February 14.

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

All Michigan cities All cities