Johnson City, TN · Updated Oct 2026

What a Johnson City 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 Johnson City house

$7,899a year · $658 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $268,200; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Johnson City house at the typical market value ($268,200) pays about $7,900 a year: $2,260 property tax and charges, $1,250 water and sewer, $200 trash, $2,690 electricity and gas, $1,490 home insurance. 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+ or disabled, low income: state and city property tax reliefIncome up to $38,470
Tennessee's tax relief program reimburses part or all of the property taxes paid by low-income homeowners 65 or older (by December 31, 2026) or disabled. The income limit is $38,470 (2025 income of the applicant, spouse, co-owners and resident remainder); other requirements apply. For tax year 2026 Johnson City adds its own local relief for those who qualify ($127 for Washington County homes, $129 in Carter and Sullivan counties). It is a reimbursement, not an exemption.
How: Apply with the County Trustee or, for property inside city limits, the city collecting official; the city program uses the state application, with no extra form. Questions: City Tax Specialist, 601 E. Main St., 423-232-1480.
Disabled veterans or surviving spouses: state and city property tax relief
Disabled veterans whose disability meets one of the criteria the Comptroller lists (for example, a service-connected permanent and total disability as determined by the VA), and surviving spouses in the listed cases, can get state tax relief calculated on up to $175,000 of market value; other requirements apply. For tax year 2026 Johnson City adds $660 for homes in Washington County ($671 in Carter and Sullivan counties).
How: Apply with the County Trustee or, for property inside city limits, the city collecting official, with consent form F-16 (F-16S for a surviving spouse). Questions: City Tax Specialist, 423-232-1480.
Washington County matches state tax relief
Washington County matches up to the state tax relief amount for qualified elderly, disabled and disabled veteran homeowners, not to exceed the billed amount.
How: Apply in the Washington County Trustee's Office; bring proof of income for the previous tax year.
Leak adjustment on your water and sewer bill
High bills from a verified leak may be adjusted once the leak is repaired and use returns to normal: if use was 3 times normal, you pay your average bill plus 50% of the excess water charges, and excess sewer can be waived.
How: Johnson City Water and Sewer customer service: 423-461-1640.
Brush, leaf, appliance and furniture collection included
The $16.75 solid waste fee covers curbside garbage collection and recycling, appliance and furniture collection, brush collection and leaf collection.
How: Call the Street Division (brush and leaf collection) at 423-975-2700 or Solid Waste Services at 423-975-2792.
$40 bill credit for a BrightRidge water heater device$40 bill credit
BrightRidge installs a free TALO load-management device on a qualifying electric water heater; the installation may qualify for a one-time $40 credit on your energy bill, plus free element and thermostat replacement.
How: Complete BrightRidge's Water Heater Incentive Request Form or call BrightRidge Energy Services at (423) 952-5142.
Income-qualified: free home energy upgrades (Home Uplift)Average $10,000 in upgrades
Through BrightRidge and TVA EnergyRight's Home Uplift program, eligible income-qualified customers receive an average of $10,000 in free home energy upgrades such as HVAC, insulation and water heaters.
How: Call (888) 986-7262 for a Home Uplift application; the program is first-come, first-served.

Money dates

Feb 28, 2027Johnson City 2026 property taxes are due by February 28, 2027 (postmarks of that date are honored); penalty and interest begin March 1, 2027.
End of FebruaryWashington County property taxes, billed by the County Trustee in October, are due by the end of February.
35 days after taxes go delinquentDeadline to apply for 2026 state property tax relief: 35 days after the delinquency date, and the 2026 taxes must be paid by then.

Who serves this house

Water: Johnson City Water and Sewer Services; City of Johnson City Water and Sewer Department, inside corporate limits water rates, marked effective July 1, 2026 on the rate table (in the City Rate & Connection Fee Schedule dated October 1, 2026): a base charge per bill plus a charge per 1,000 gallons that steps down at 20,000, 190,000 and 490,000 gallons
Property tax: 0.84% of value; 2026 tax year (FY 2027), City of Johnson City and Washington County
Garbage: City of Johnson City Solid Waste Services; $16.75 a month on each water meter account, covering weekly garbage pickup, curbside recycling, brush and leaf collection; where collection is automated (about 95% of the city) the City provides one 95-gallon cart
Sewer: Johnson City Water and Sewer Services; Inside city limits (City Rate & Connection Fee Schedule dated October 1, 2026): $7.82 base charge per bill plus $7.85 per 1,000 gallons of water
Stormwater: City of Johnson City; $4.00 a month for an average single-family home (1 SFU)
Electricity: BrightRidge; $25.00 base service charge; total kWh charge $0.10951 in October 2026, including TVA's fuel cost adjustment
Gas: Atmos Energy; Residential customer charge $27.20 a month October-April and $25.20 May-September, plus $0.1970 per Ccf and the purchased gas adjustment

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Size: The department treats 5.6 billion gallons of drinking water a year and processes over 5 billion gallons of wastewater.
System: EPA records list the system as serving 105,057 people through 46,281 service connections.
Lead: Johnson City banned lead pipes for new construction and renovations inside city limits in the early 1970s; in older homes and neighborhoods, galvanized or lead plumbing may have been used.

How these numbers are made

Johnson City Water and Sewer Services bills water, sewer, the solid waste fee and the stormwater fee on one monthly utility bill. Inside city limits (rates effective July 1, 2026): water $6.30 base charge per bill plus $4.92 per 1,000 gallons up to 20,000 gallons (lower blocks above that); sewer $7.82 base charge plus $7.85 per 1,000 gallons of water. Stormwater: $4.00 a month, the rate for an average single-family home (1 SFU; small homes pay $2.04 and large ones $6.72). Garbage: the $16.75 monthly solid waste fee. Typical water use is not published, so the page starts at 9 CCF (about 6,700 gallons).
Property tax: Tennessee assesses a house at 25% of its appraised value and sets rates per $100 of that assessed value. 2026 rates for a home in the Washington County part of Johnson City: City of Johnson City $1.6662 (Ordinance 4951-26, third reading August 13, 2026) and Washington County $1.71 (Resolution 26-06-01; $0.54 of it is the General Purpose School and Education Capital Projects funds), $3.3762 in all, which is 0.844% of appraised value. The City and the Washington County Trustee send separate bills. Tennessee has no general homestead exemption; relief programs are listed as tips. Neither Washington County nor Johnson City is on the Comptroller's list of tax freeze jurisdictions; a Washington County committee tabled a freeze on September 29, 2026.
Homes in the Carter County and Sullivan County parts of Johnson City pay the City's $1.5342 rate plus their own county's rate instead (Carter County's 2026 certified rate after reappraisal is $1.157, it was $2.18 in 2025; Sullivan's 2025 rate is $1.6129), so their totals differ from the Washington County figures used here.
The starting home value is the Census median value of owner-occupied homes in Johnson City ($268,200, ACS 2020-2024), a market value; enter your appraised value from the Washington County Assessor instead. Washington County's last countywide reappraisal was in 2024, so appraisals reflect that year's values. Home insurance is the 2022 NAIC Tennessee average (HO-3) until you enter your own.
Electricity: BrightRidge residential, the $25.00 base service charge (counted as a monthly charge) plus the simple average of its 12 published monthly total kWh charges (kWh charge plus TVA fuel cost adjustment and DCRA) from November 2025 to October 2026: 11.762¢ per kWh. Typical use: Tennessee residential average from EIA (1,154 kWh a month). Some addresses at the city's edges may be served by another electric utility.
Natural gas: Atmos Energy Schedule 210, the month-weighted average customer charge (7 months at $27.20, 5 at $25.20) = $26.37, plus the $0.1970 per Ccf base rate (from June 1, 2026) and the 12-month average of Atmos's firm Purchased Gas Adjustment from November 2025 to October 2026 ($0.6484 per Ccf): $0.8454 per Ccf, about $0.815 per therm. Typical use: about 46 therms a month (EIA Tennessee residential average).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Johnson City compares

A typical Johnson City house against the 20 Tennessee cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Johnson City	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	0.84%	0.62%	higher than 16 of the other 19 Tennessee cities we cover
Water	$473	$492	lower than 10 of the other 19 Tennessee cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$776	$776	in the middle of 19 other Tennessee cities we cover
Trash	$201	$223	lower than 10 of the other 13 Tennessee cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$2,693	$2,466	higher than 13 of the other 19 Tennessee cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,492	$1,492	in the middle of 19 other Tennessee cities we cover
Total	$7,899	$7,240	higher than 12 of the other 19 Tennessee 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: Johnson City's property tax rate is 0.84%, higher than 16 of the other 19 Tennessee cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Johnson City is 0.84%, higher than 16 of the other 19 Tennessee 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 $201 a year for the standard cart, lower than 10 of the other 13 Tennessee 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 $201 a year for the standard cart, lower than 10 of the other 13 Tennessee 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 Johnson City house costs

What is the property tax rate in Johnson City?

About 0.84% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year (FY 2027), City of Johnson City and Washington County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $4,220 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Johnson City?

About $104 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on Johnson City Water and Sewer Services.

How much does trash pickup cost in Johnson City?

$17 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Johnson City?

Feb 28, 2027: Johnson City 2026 property taxes are due by February 28, 2027 (postmarks of that date are honored); penalty and interest begin March 1, 2027. End of February: Washington County property taxes, billed by the County Trustee in October, are due by the end of February.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Johnson City?

Yes. Seniors 65+ or disabled, low income: state and city property tax relief: Tennessee's tax relief program reimburses part or all of the property taxes paid by low-income homeowners 65 or older (by December 31, 2026) or disabled. The income limit is $38,470 (2025 income of the applicant, spouse, co-owners and resident remainder); other requirements apply. For tax year 2026 Johnson City adds its own local relief for those who qualify ($127 for Washington County homes, $129 in Carter and Sullivan counties). It is a reimbursement, not an exemption.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Johnson City?

Seniors 65+ or disabled, low income: state and city property tax relief: Tennessee's tax relief program reimburses part or all of the property taxes paid by low-income homeowners 65 or older (by December 31, 2026) or disabled. The income limit is $38,470 (2025 income of the applicant, spouse, co-owners and resident remainder); other requirements apply. For tax year 2026 Johnson City adds its own local relief for those who qualify ($127 for Washington County homes, $129 in Carter and Sullivan counties). It is a reimbursement, not an exemption. Apply with the County Trustee or, for property inside city limits, the city collecting official; the city program uses the state application, with no extra form. Questions: City Tax Specialist, 601 E. Main St., 423-232-1480.

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

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