Chesapeake, VA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake house

$10,794a year · $899 a month

Starts at $378,400 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$3,822
1.010% of $378,400
Electricity and gas$3,750
1078 kWh a month $2,384 · 47.7 therms $1,366
Water and sewer$1,890
6.684 units (CCF) a month on Chesapeake Public Utilities: water $52, sewer $94, stormwater utility fee (billed twice a year) $11 a month
TrashIncluded
No separate trash fee
Home insurance$1,332
Typical premium $1,332

A typical Chesapeake house pays about $10,800 a year: $3,820 property tax and charges, $1,890 water and sewer, $3,750 electricity and gas, $1,330 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+ or disabled, income up to $70,000: real estate tax relief25% to 100% of the tax
Owners who are 65 or older or totally and permanently disabled, live in the home, have combined household income of $70,000 or less and net worth (not counting the home) of $350,000 or less get relief on a sliding scale: 100% up to $25,000 of income, then 75%, 50% or 25%. It never has to be repaid.
How: Apply every year between January 1 and May 15 with the Commissioner of the Revenue: call 757-382-6455 and choose option 4.
Disabled veterans rated 100%: no real estate tax on your homeFull exemption
Veterans the VA certifies as totally and permanently disabled from a service-connected disability, with a 100% rating or 100% for individual unemployability, are exempt from real estate tax on the home they own and live in. A surviving spouse can qualify if the veteran died on or after January 1, 2011 and the spouse has not remarried.
How: File the Real Estate Tax Exemption Application with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Office (757-382-6455).
Leak adjustment on a high water billFor use above your average
After you repair a water leak, Chesapeake Public Utilities considers an adjustment for use above your average. Pay the average bill by the due date while the review is pending.
How: Mail or email the Water Bill Leak Adjustment Request Form to Public Utilities within 30 days after the account is billed.
Low income: Dominion Energy PIPP sets your electric bill by income6% or 10% of income
Households with income up to 150% of the federal poverty level pay a monthly electric bill based on income: 10% of income if they heat with electricity, 6% with another heat source.
How: Apply through the Virginia Department of Social Services at commonhelp.virginia.gov, or in person, by mail or by fax through your local Department of Social Services.
Water bill help after a financial setback (H2O)One-time help
Help 2 Others (H2O) gives one-time assistance to Hampton Roads residents who have had a financial setback and are in danger of losing water and wastewater service.
How: The H2O website is linked from Chesapeake Public Utilities' Payment, Account & Bill Information page; to set up a payment arrangement call 757-382-6352, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Money dates

Mar 1, 2027Reassessment notices for homes whose value changed since July 1, 2026 are mailed on or before March 1, 2027.
Mar 1 to Apr 1Appeal your assessment to the Board of Equalization from March 1 through April 1; mailed applications must be postmarked by April 1, hand-delivered ones in by 5 p.m.
May 15Deadline to apply for real estate tax relief for seniors and disabled owners; you must reapply each year between January 1 and May 15.
Sep 30 · Dec 31 · Mar 31 · Jun 5Real estate tax is assessed on a fiscal-year basis and payable in four quarterly installments: September 30, December 31, March 31 and June 5.

Who serves this house

Water: Depends on your address; Chesapeake Public Utilities
Property tax: 1.01% of value; FY 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), City of Chesapeake
Garbage: City of Chesapeake Waste Management Division; Weekly trash collection with no separate fee; since July 27, 2026 recyclables go in the same bin
Sewer: Chesapeake Public Utilities and HRSD; City sewer collection and HRSD sewer treatment on the same two-month bill, based on water use
Electricity: Dominion Energy Virginia; Schedule 1 residential service: $7.58 basic customer charge a month
Gas: Virginia Natural Gas; Schedule 1 residential firm gas sales service: $14.18 customer charge a month

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: The Northwest River Water Treatment Plant treats Northwest River water and brackish groundwater from four wells; the Lake Gaston plant treats raw water bought from Norfolk.
Lead: In 2025, 0 of 57 tap samples were above the 15 ppb lead action level; the 90th percentile was 0.84 ppb.
PFAS: PFOA and PFOS were not detected in federal UCMR5 sampling, which ended in March 2024.

How these numbers are made

Chesapeake water and sewer are billed every two months on a joint HRUBS bill with HRSD; we halve the two-month charges and the 10 CCF first block to get monthly figures.
Water: City of Chesapeake rates from January 1, 2026 for a 5/8-inch meter: $23.84 every two months ($11.92 a month), then $4.72 per CCF for the first 5 CCF a month and $10.06 per CCF above that (a $7.38 block applies only above 8,000 CCF a month). Starting use is the 5,000 gallons (6.684 CCF) a month the city uses in its FY 2027 Local Tax Comparisons. Sewer: the city's $16.40 two-month service charge ($8.20 a month) plus $2.95 per CCF, and HRSD's July 1, 2026 treatment rate of $9.84 per CCF added to it.
Stormwater is the residential flat rate of $11.35 a month, which the city bills twice a year ($68.10 each). Chesapeake charges no trash fee.
Property tax: the FY 2027 rate of $1.01 per $100 of assessed value ($1.00 general rate plus $0.01 for mosquito control) on the value you enter, starting at the $378,400 median assessed value of a single-family home in the city's FY 2027 Local Tax Comparisons. Virginia has no general homestead exemption; tax relief for seniors, disabled owners and disabled veterans is listed in the tips. Personal property (car) tax is not included.
Electricity: Dominion Energy Virginia Schedule 1 as filed for usage from July 1, 2026, with every per-kWh rider in the Exhibit of Applicable Riders effective September 1, 2026 (fuel Rider A at 3.7648¢; C1A, C4A, CERC, DIST, E, GEN, SMR, SNA, T1, CCR, CE, OSW, RPS; RGGI and PIPP are 0¢), the 0.2901¢ deferred fuel cost charge and the state consumption tax of $0.001565 per kWh. Generation charges differ by season, so each block uses a weighted average of four summer months (June-September) and eight winter months. The monthly fixed charge adds Chesapeake's $3.75 maximum electric utility tax to the $7.58 basic customer charge (the tax reaches its cap above about 108 kWh). Starting use is the 1,078 kWh a month the city uses for its utility tax comparison (EIA 2020 survey).
Gas: Virginia Natural Gas Schedule 1 billing rate for October 2026 ($1.88126 per Ccf) plus the $0.16 per Ccf CARE charge, converted to therms at 1.037 therms per Ccf; the fixed charge adds the $3.89 monthly SAVE charge and Chesapeake's $1.88 monthly gas utility tax to the $14.18 customer charge. VNG's billing rate changes monthly with gas costs. Starting use is 46 Ccf (about 47.7 therms) a month, the figure the city uses for its gas tax comparison. Insurance is the 2022 Virginia average HO-3 premium (NAIC).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Chesapeake compares

A typical Chesapeake house against the 15 Virginia cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Chesapeake	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.01%	1.06%	lower than 8 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Water	$630	$614	higher than 8 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$1,260	$784	higher than 11 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,750	$3,304	higher than 12 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,332	$1,332	in the middle of 13 other Virginia cities we cover
Total	$10,794	$10,361	higher than 8 of the other 14 Virginia 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. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $1,260 a year, higher than 11 of the other 14 Virginia 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 $1,260 a year, higher than 11 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $3,750 a year, higher than 12 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $3,750 a year for a typical house, higher than 12 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Chesapeake house costs

What is the property tax rate in Chesapeake?

About 1.01% of the value before exemptions a year (FY 2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027), City of Chesapeake), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $5,050 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Chesapeake?

About $157 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6.684 units, or 5,000 gallons a month) on Chesapeake Public Utilities.

How much does trash pickup cost in Chesapeake?

No separate trash fee

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Chesapeake?

Yes. Seniors 65+ or disabled, income up to $70,000: real estate tax relief: Owners who are 65 or older or totally and permanently disabled, live in the home, have combined household income of $70,000 or less and net worth (not counting the home) of $350,000 or less get relief on a sliding scale: 100% up to $25,000 of income, then 75%, 50% or 25%. It never has to be repaid.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Chesapeake?

Water bill help after a financial setback (H2O): Help 2 Others (H2O) gives one-time assistance to Hampton Roads residents who have had a financial setback and are in danger of losing water and wastewater service. The H2O website is linked from Chesapeake Public Utilities' Payment, Account & Bill Information page; to set up a payment arrangement call 757-382-6352, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

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

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