Moorhead, MN · Updated Oct 2026

What a Moorhead 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 Moorhead house

$8,047a year · $671 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $249,000; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$3,422
1.846% of $249,000, less $24,140 homestead market value exclusion and less $500,000 for class 1a residential homestead property, the 1.25% class rate applies only to market value above $500,000
Electricity$1,205
850 kWh a month $1,205
Water and sewer$1,420
6 units (CCF) a month on Moorhead Public Service: water $53, sewer $45, stormwater utility fee $11, forestry fee $6, street light fee $4 a month
Trash$226
48-gallon tote, trash plus recycling, $19 a month
Home insurance$1,774
Typical premium $1,774

A Moorhead house at the typical market value ($249,000) pays about $8,100 a year: $3,420 property tax and charges, $1,420 water and sewer, $230 trash, $1,210 electricity, $1,770 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:

Moved in this year? Apply for homestead by Dec. 31
Homestead lowers the taxable value of a home you own and live in. The homestead market value exclusion is 40% of value for homesteads valued at $95,000 or less (a maximum of $38,000), is reduced as values rise, and phases out at $517,200 or more.
How: Apply with your assessor; you must own and occupy the home as your main residence no later than December 31.
Claim the Minnesota property tax refund
Minnesota homeowners may get a Property Tax Refund based on their income and property taxes.
How: File with the Minnesota Department of Revenue by August 15 (you may file up to one year late).
Seniors 65+: defer part of your property tax
With the Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral, the tax you pay is 3% of household income and the state pays the rest as a loan, repaid with interest when you sell or cancel.
How: You must be 65 or older (if married, the other spouse at least 62) with household income of $96,000 or less; apply by November 1.
Veterans with a 70%+ disability rating: market value exclusion$150,000 or $300,000 off market value
Honorably discharged veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher can exclude $150,000 of market value; a 100% permanent and total disability rating qualifies for $300,000.
How: Be honorably discharged and own and occupy a homesteaded property on December 31.
Central air conditioner: Thrifty Watts bill credit$5.50 a month, May-September
Moorhead Public Service's residential load management program gives a $5.50 a month bill credit May-September for a central air conditioner.
How: Call Moorhead Public Service at 218.477.8000, Option 4.

Adjust to match your bills

What you knowTrash cartThe fee covers garbage, recycling and yard waste collection. Each household may have one automated garbage tote. The garbage rate has the 9.75% Solid Waste Tax added; the recycling fee is not taxed.

Value before exemptionsUse the estimated market value on your valuation notice. Homes in the part of Moorhead served by Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton schools (district 2164) pay a lower school rate; special assessments, if any, are extra.

I live here and have the Homestead market value exclusion and For class 1a residential homestead property, the 1.25% class rate applies only to market value above $500,000

Home insurance, a yearFrom your policy. We start at $1,774, NAIC average HO-3 homeowners premium for Minnesota, 2022, as published by the Insurance Information Institute.

Your use

Water, units a month

On your water bill. 1 unit (CCF) is 748 gallons. A typical Moorhead house uses about 6.

Electricity, kWh a month

On your Moorhead Public Service bill. An electric car adds about 300 kWh.

Money dates

Nov 1in 9 daysSeniors: last day to file for the property tax deferral for next year's tax
Dec 31in 69 daysLast day to move into your home and file a homestead application with the assessor; also the last day disabled veterans can file for the value exclusion
May 15First half of real property taxes due
Aug 15Minnesota property tax refund due; you may still file up to one year late

Who serves this house

Water: Moorhead Public Service; Moorhead Public Service, billed monthly; 2026 residential rate inside city limits: $21.35 a month customer charge for a 3/4 inch meter, and $4.95 per 100 cubic feet from November to April or $5.60 from May to October
Property tax: 1.85% of value; Taxes payable 2025, Clay County (tax district 1600-152-007, Moorhead city / School District 152)
Garbage: City of Moorhead Sanitation; Monthly fee on your Moorhead Public Service bill; 48- or 96-gallon tote
Sewer: City of Moorhead; Wastewater charge on your Moorhead Public Service bill: a monthly customer charge plus a flow charge
Electricity: Moorhead Public Service; The City of Moorhead's own electric and water utility
Gas: Xcel Energy; Natural gas service to Moorhead residents
Schools: School District 152; Clay County lists tax district 1600-152-007 under Moorhead

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Groundwater from seven wells, 114 to 269 feet deep, from the Buffalo and Moorhead Aquifers, plus surface water from the Red River of the North

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How these numbers are made

Water: Moorhead Public Service's 2026 residential rate inside city limits: $21.35 a month for a 3/4 inch meter, and $4.95 per 100 cubic feet November-April and $5.60 May-October, averaged to $5.275 year-round ((6 x 4.95 + 6 x 5.60) / 12). Use above 150% of your winter average from May to October is billed at $7.25 per 100 cubic feet; the page does not model that. The typical use is MPS's 600 cubic feet a month.
Sewer: the City of Moorhead's residential wastewater charge, $25.54 a month plus $3.21 per 100 cubic feet; the volume charge is capped at 1.5 times the average of November-April use, which the page does not model. Utility fees on the same bill: stormwater $10.51 (the city fee schedule also lists $10.21, which the MPS rate brochure shows as the multiple-family tenant rate), forestry $6.03 and street lights $4.00 a month. The MPS 2026 rate brochure says the City of Moorhead's rates apply to bills on or after January 1, 2026.
Pest control on the city bill ($3.26 a month: animal control, right-of-way maintenance, mosquito control) is not included because neither the fee schedule nor the MPS brochure labels it as a residential fee; if it applies to your bill, add about $39 a year. Garbage: the city's 2026 tote rates ($12.19 for 48 gallons, $21.43 for 96 gallons) plus the 9.75% Solid Waste Tax, plus the $5.43 recycling fee, which is not taxed. The city fee page also lists no 64-gallon option.
Property tax: Clay County's payable-2025 rates for Moorhead city / school district 152 (the latest posted): tax-capacity rates of 45.46396% county, 56.08095% city, 30.69344% school, 2.03340% HRA/EDA and 1.63997% watershed, and a 0.14681340% school referendum rate on market value. The county sheet lists a second, lower city rate (31.01276%) for the same district; the 56.08095% line is used because it matches the city levy. Some Moorhead homes are in district 2164, and 2026 rates will differ (the city's preliminary 2026 levy increase is 5.58%, so the city share is likely higher; Clay County's pay-2026 rate sheet was not posted). The starting value is the Census median value, not an assessor figure; enter your notice value.
Electricity: MPS's 2026 residential customer charge ($18.00 a month) and the energy charge averaged over the year (3 months at $0.109 and 9 months at $0.093 = $0.097 per kWh), at 850 kWh a month, which is MPS's own average-residential-bill usage. The extension surcharge for newly acquired areas is not included, and neither is Minnesota sales tax on electric charges (MPS: electricity used as a home's main winter heat source is exempt), so the electric total is before tax. Natural gas is supplied by Xcel Energy; its current Minnesota rates could not be sourced (the posted rate book is the January 2024 version), so no gas cost is included and the typical total leaves out natural gas heating for homes that use it.
Insurance: the 2022 NAIC statewide average premium for Minnesota (HO-3), the newest figure published by the Insurance Information Institute.
Modelling: the electric total does not add Minnesota sales tax (it is before tax); the School District 152 MKT rate is applied to market value.
Modelling: tax capacity is taxed at the local tax capacity rate on the county extension sheet; typicalValue is a Census ACS median market value, not a Clay County assessor figure.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Moorhead house costs

What is the property tax rate in Moorhead?

About 1.85% of the value before exemptions a year (Taxes payable 2025, Clay County (tax district 1600-152-007, Moorhead city / School District 152)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $7,509 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions with the homestead market value exclusion.

How much is the water bill in Moorhead?

About $118 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6 units, or 4,488 gallons a month) on Moorhead Public Service.

How much does trash pickup cost in Moorhead?

$19 to $29 a month, depending on the trash cart size (48-gallon tote, trash plus recycling, 96-gallon tote, trash plus recycling).

When is property tax due in Moorhead?

May 15: First half of real property taxes due Aug 15: Minnesota property tax refund due; you may still file up to one year late

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Moorhead?

Yes. Seniors 65+: defer part of your property tax: With the Senior Citizens Property Tax Deferral, the tax you pay is 3% of household income and the state pays the rest as a loan, repaid with interest when you sell or cancel.

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

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