PortlandHome costs
Portland, TN · Updated Oct 2026

What a Portland home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Portland house
$8,429a year · $702 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $454,002; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

A Portland house at the typical market value ($454,002) costs about $8,400 a year: $2,630 property tax and charges, $2,030 water and sewer, $300 trash, $1,970 electricity, $1,490 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

One change saves this house about $639 a year:

  • Bring water use down to 3 units

    $639 a year

    Above 3 units a month, City of Portland Water Distribution charges $8.88 a unit instead of $0.00.

    How: Most of the top tier is outdoor watering: fix leaks and water less often in summer.

Worth checking

  • Disabled veterans or surviving spouses: state property tax reliefOn up to $175,000 of value

    Homeowners who are disabled veterans, or their surviving spouses, can get tax relief calculated on up to $175,000 of market value.

    How: Apply with the Sumner County Trustee or the city collecting official; complete form F-16 (veteran) or F-16S (widow(er)) so the VA can release your disability information.

  • Seniors 65+: Sumner County property tax freezeIncome limit $48,550 (2026)

    Homeowners 65 or older whose income from all sources is $48,550 or less (Sumner County, tax year 2026) can have the tax on their home frozen at the amount owed in the year they first qualify, even if the rate goes up or the county reappraises.

    How: Apply every year with the Sumner County Trustee (615-452-1260); 2026 applications are taken beginning September 2026.

Money dates

  • Feb 28City of Portland property tax bills must be paid in full by 4:30 pm on February 28th.
  • Feb 28, 2027Sumner County 2026 property taxes: any unpaid portion is subject to interest beginning March 1; up to five partial payments may be made by check or cash.
  • From Sep 2026The Sumner County Trustee takes 2026 tax freeze applications beginning September 2026; applications must be completed no later than 35 days after the February tax payment deadline, and owners must requalify every year.
  • 35 days after delinquency dateThe deadline to apply for state property tax relief is 35 days after the delinquency date; taxes must also be paid by this date.

Who serves this house

Water
City of Portland Water Distribution
City of Portland residential water rates, inside city, effective July 1, 2026: a $6.00 meter base fee plus $16.61 for 0-2000 gallons, then $6.64 per 1,000 gallons over 2000
Property tax
0.58% of value
2026 tax year (FY 2027), Sumner County; city rate as listed in the 2026 community profile
Garbage
City of Portland Sanitation
$25.00 a month for 1 or 2 trash carts
Sewer
City of Portland Sewer Collection
Over 100 miles of sewer lines throughout the city
Electricity
Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation
Local power company for Portland, a TVA distributor
Gas
City of Portland Natural Gas
Delivers gas to approximately 4,425 customers
Schools
Sumner County
Of the county's $1.4210 tax rate for fiscal year 2027, $0.7144 goes to the General Purpose School fund
Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source
Your water comes from Drakes Creek and the City Lake and is classified as surface water.
Lead
The City is happy to say we have no known lead service lines.
Lead test
During the most recent round of lead and copper testing 0 out of 31 households sampled contained concentrations exceeding the lead action level of 15 ppb.

Other TN cities

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How these numbers are made
  • City of Portland bills water, sewer, trash (sanitation) and stormwater on one monthly utility bill. Water (inside city, residential, July 1, 2026): $6.00 meter base fee plus $16.61 covering the first 2,000 gallons, then $6.64 per 1,000 gallons; sewer $37.44 for the first 2,000 gallons, then $14.99 per 1,000 gallons. Stormwater $7.00 a month. Garbage $25.00 a month for 1 or 2 carts.
  • Property tax: Tennessee assesses a house at 25% of appraised value and sets rates per $100 of assessed value. City of Portland $0.90 (the figure in the 2026 community profile; the city's own 2026 notice was not found) and Sumner County $1.421 of which $0.7144 is school. That is 0.225% of appraised value for the city and 0.355% for the county. Most Portland homes are in Sumner County; a part of the city lies in Robertson County, whose county rate is $1.80 per $100, so those owners pay more. The two counties send separate bills. Tennessee has no general homestead exemption; relief and freeze programs are listed as tips.
  • The starting home value is ESRI's 2025 median home value for Portland ($454,002), a vendor estimate (not a Census figure; Census-based medians may be lower), a market value; enter your appraised value from the Sumner County Assessor.
  • Electricity: Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation Schedule RS, $39.00 base charge plus the year-round average of its summer, winter and transition-period energy + TVA fuel charges, four months each: 10.843¢ per kWh. The TVA fuel charge changes every month. Typical use is the Tennessee residential average from EIA (1,154 kWh a month).
  • Natural gas: the City of Portland sells gas to about 4,425 customers, but its per-unit gas price was not found online, so gas is not priced here; the city's monthly service fee plus usage appears on your utility bill. Water and sewer are priced per 1,000 gallons, as the city does.
  • Typical value is ESRI's 2025 estimate via the MTIDA profile (a vendor estimate, not a Census figure); Census medians may be lower, so residents should use their appraised value from the Sumner County Assessor.
  • Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
Sources
  1. City of Portland utility rate sheet (effective July 1, 2026)
  2. City of Portland utilities page
  3. Portland Water System 2024 Water Quality Report
  4. City of Portland utility customer notification (2025)
  5. MTIDA Portland (Sumner County) community profile 2026
  6. City of Portland property tax page
  7. FY2027-Budget.pdf
  8. https://sumnercountytn.gov/departments/assessor-of-property/how-to-calculate-your-taxes/
  9. CEMC rates, October 2026 (transition)
  10. CEMC rates, August 2026 (summer)
  11. CEMC rates, February 2026 (winter)
  12. table_5A.pdf
  13. facts-statistics-homeowners-and-renters-insurance
  14. tax-relief.html
  15. TaxReliefBrochure.pdf
  16. https://sumnercountytn.gov/departments/trustee/
  17. TaxFreezeIncomeLimitsList2026.pdf
  18. property-tax-freeze.html
  19. Property-Tax
  20. https://sumnercountytn.gov/departments/assessor-of-property/assessment-fact-sheet/

How Portland compares

A typical Portland house against the 27 Tennessee cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per yearPortlandMedianWhere it falls
Property tax rate0.58%0.65%lower than 14 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover
Water$648$528higher than 22 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees$1,384$778higher than 24 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover
Trash$300$211higher than 15 of the other 19 Tennessee cities we cover
Electricity and gas$1,970$2,439lower than 21 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover
Home insurance$1,492$1,492in the middle of 26 other Tennessee cities we cover
Total$8,429$7,278higher than 21 of the other 26 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. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $648 a year at typical use, higher than 22 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $648 a year at typical use, higher than 22 of the other 26 Tennessee 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 $1,384 a year, higher than 24 of the other 26 Tennessee 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 $1,384 a year, higher than 24 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $300 a year for the standard cart, higher than 15 of the other 19 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 $300 a year for the standard cart, higher than 15 of the other 19 Tennessee cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,970 a year, lower than 21 of the other 26 Tennessee cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,970 a year for a typical house, lower than 21 of the other 26 Tennessee 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 Portland house costs

What is the property tax rate in Portland?

About 0.58% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year (FY 2027), Sumner County; city rate as listed in the 2026 community profile), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $2,901 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Portland?

About $169 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of Portland Water Distribution.

How much does trash pickup cost in Portland?

$25 a month for a house.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Portland?

Yes. Seniors 65+: Sumner County property tax freeze: Homeowners 65 or older whose income from all sources is $48,550 or less (Sumner County, tax year 2026) can have the tax on their home frozen at the amount owed in the year they first qualify, even if the rate goes up or the county reappraises.

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

A Portland house at the typical market value ($454,002) costs about $8,400 a year: $2,630 property tax and charges, $2,030 water and sewer, $300 trash, $1,970 electricity, $1,490 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

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