Fairfax, VA · Updated Oct 2026

What a Fairfax 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 Fairfax house

$13,753a year · $1,146 a month

Starts at $726,287 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$7,789
1.073% of $726,287
Flat charges on the tax bill$180
Stormwater utility fee (average property, 2,500 sq ft of impervious surface) $180
Electricity and gas$3,284
1032 kWh a month $2,274 · 49.87 therms $1,011
Water and sewer$1,167
5,000 gallons a month on Fairfax Water: water $30, sewer $66, wastewater lateral repair charge ($4.50 a quarter) $2 a month
TrashIncluded
Paid through annual tax assessments
Home insurance$1,332
Typical premium $1,332

A typical Fairfax house pays about $13,800 a year: $7,970 property tax and charges, $1,170 water and sewer, $3,280 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 $90,000: real estate tax relief25% to 100% of the tax
The city gives real estate tax relief year to year to residents 65 and older and people with disabilities whose combined gross family income is $90,000 or less and whose net worth is $440,000 or less, not counting the home and one acre. Relief is 100% for income up to $75,000, then 75%, 50% or 25%.
How: Applications go out in February; return yours to the Finance Department by April 15 (703.359.2486, taxrelief@fairfaxva.gov). Past recipients must reapply every year.
Disabled veterans rated 100%: no real estate tax on your homeFull exemption
Veterans the VA has declared 100 percent service-connected, permanently and totally disabled, or their surviving spouses, do not pay real estate tax on the veteran's principal residence.
How: Get the one-time application from the Finance Department (Room 312, City Hall) or by email; call 703-359-2486.
Lower your stormwater fee with creditsCredit on the stormwater fee
Owners can earn credits on the stormwater utility fee for a stormwater management facility in good condition, or for activities such as tree planting, a no-fertilizer pledge or Adopt-A-Stream cleanups. Every property is still charged at least one billing unit a year.
How: Apply online, by email to stormwaterutility@fairfaxva.gov or with a hard copy at the Public Works office, by October 1 for the coming year's fee. Questions: (703) 385-2578.
Sewer lateral repair or replacement reimbursement25% up to $2,500, or 75% up to $5,500
City wastewater customers can get part of the cost back for repairing or replacing their sewer lateral: 25% up to $2,500 for a trenchless replacement on private property only, or 75% up to $5,500 when the whole lateral on private property and the right-of-way is replaced.
How: Before work begins, get two contractor quotes with a camera inspection and submit the Wastewater Lateral Repair and Replacement Program application to Public Works.
Leak adjustment on a high water billOne quarter, up to $5,000
Fairfax Water offers a one-time courtesy adjustment for unusually high water charges caused by a leak, if you repair it promptly and have not had one in the previous five years. One quarterly billing period is adjusted, capped at $5,000.
How: Send the Leak Adjustment Request Form with receipts or an invoice for the repair to Fairfax Water.
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.
Interest-free loan to pay your real estate tax (TAP)7.5% fee, no interest
The Treasurer's Taxpayer Assistance Program, with MainStreet Bank, offers interest-free loans of $250 to $15,000 for real estate tax, repaid in six to ten monthly installments before the next due date. The only cost is a 7.5% fee paid when you apply.
How: Apply at the Treasurer's Office by appointment or over the phone.

Money dates

Dec 5in 43 daysSecond half of the real estate tax is due.
Apr 15Tax relief applications for owners 65+ and people with disabilities are due to the Finance Department; first-time applications from totally and permanently disabled people can be filed any time.
Jun 21First half of the real estate tax is due.
Oct 1Stormwater utility credit applications are due to Public Works for the coming year's fee.

Who serves this house

Water: Fairfax Water; Fairfax Water rates effective April 1, 2026
Property tax: 1.07% of value; FY 2027 (fiscal year 2026-2027), City of Fairfax
Garbage: City of Fairfax; Curbside trash, recycling, yard waste and large-item collection for single-family homes and townhomes, paid through annual tax assessments
Sewer: City of Fairfax Wastewater Utility; Billed by Fairfax Water, based on the water used as recorded by the water meter
Electricity: Dominion Energy Virginia; Schedule 1 residential service: $7.58 basic customer charge a month
Gas: Washington Gas; Rate Schedule No. 1 residential service: $15.50 system charge a month

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Fairfax Water draws raw water from the Potomac River and the Occoquan Reservoir.
Lead: In the latest lead monitoring (2023), the 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb and no sites were above the 15 ppb action level.
Fluoride: Fluoride in the finished water measured 0.6 ppm, below the 4 ppm limit.

How these numbers are made

Several City of Fairfax pages and PDFs are cited through Internet Archive copies (web.archive.org) of fairfaxva.gov, because the city site refuses our automated downloads; each copy is the city's own page as captured on the date in its link.
Water: Fairfax Water rates effective April 1, 2026 for an established account with a standard 5/8-inch meter: the $17.55 quarterly service charge ($5.85 a month) and $4.35 per 1,000 gallons, each raised 15% for the City of Fairfax utility tax on the water service charge (capped at $15 a month, which typical use does not reach). Peak use charges ($4.20 per 1,000 gallons on use above 1.3 times winter use, or 6,000 gallons above it if greater, on bills read June through November) are not included. Starting use is the 56,000 gallons a year (about 6.24 CCF a month) the city used for its FY 2027 wastewater rate example.
Sewer: the city's FY 2027 residential rates in the ordinance amending City Code §102-31(b), effective July 1, 2026 (ordinance 2026-05, approved 6-0 by City Council on May 5, 2026, per the meeting minutes): $72.45 a quarter ($24.15 a month) for the first 5,000 gallons or less, then $13.85 per 1,000 gallons; we treat 5,000 gallons a quarter as about 1,667 gallons a month. The winter-quarter cap on summer sewer use is not modelled. The $4.50 quarterly lateral repair charge is added as $1.50 a month.
Property tax: the FY 2027 rate of $1.0725 per $100 of assessed value (100% of fair market value) on the value you enter, starting at the $726,287 average 2026 residential assessed value in the City Manager's FY 2027 budget presentation (an average over residential properties, not a median). Stormwater is $180.10 a year, the city's figure for an average property with 2,500 sq. ft. of impervious surface (5 billing units at $36.02, the recommended FY 2027 rate; the adopted budget lists the same 5.0% increase); your own fee depends on your billing units. Trash has no separate fee. Virginia has no general homestead exemption; relief for seniors, people with disabilities and disabled veterans is in the tips. Car (personal property) 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), the 0.2901¢ deferred fuel cost charge and the state consumption tax of $0.001565 per kWh; generation charges are a weighted average of four summer months and eight winter months. The fixed charge adds the city's $2.25 maximum residential electricity tax (reached above about 106 kWh) to the $7.58 basic customer charge. Starting use is 1,032 kWh a month, EIA's 2024 average for Virginia homes.
Gas: Washington Gas Virginia Rate Schedule No. 1 interim rates from December 30, 2025 ($15.50 system charge plus the city's $2.25 maximum gas tax; 68.66¢ per therm distribution) plus the October 2026 Virginia residential purchased gas cost of $0.6461 per therm from the Purchased Gas Costs table on Washington Gas's Customer Choice page, which changes monthly. That table lists costs net of a balancing charge ($0.0175 for Virginia residential in October 2026), which the page says is billed to third-party suppliers; we do not add it, so the gas figure may run slightly low; riders (RSM, GSRA, SAVE, CARE adjustments) are not included. Starting use is about 49.9 therms a month: EIA's 2024 Virginia residential gas deliveries per residential consumer, at 1.037 therms per Ccf. Insurance is the 2022 Virginia average HO-3 premium (NAIC).
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Fairfax compares

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

Per year	Fairfax	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	1.07%	1.06%	higher than 8 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Water	$361	$614	lower than 12 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$806	$784	higher than 8 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$3,284	$3,304	lower than 8 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	$13,753	$10,361	higher than 12 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. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $361 a year at typical use, lower than 12 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $361 a year at typical use, lower than 12 of the other 14 Virginia cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

See who is running in your city →

Common questions about Fairfax house costs

What is the property tax rate in Fairfax?

About 1.07% of the value before exemptions a year (FY 2027 (fiscal year 2026-2027), City of Fairfax), plus flat charges on the same bill (Stormwater utility fee (average property, 2,500 sq ft of impervious surface) $180).

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

About $5,543 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions, including $180 of flat charges.

How much is the water bill in Fairfax?

About $97 a month for water and sewer at typical use (5,000 gallons a month) on Fairfax Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Fairfax?

Paid through annual tax assessments

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Fairfax?

Yes. Seniors 65+ or disabled, income up to $90,000: real estate tax relief: The city gives real estate tax relief year to year to residents 65 and older and people with disabilities whose combined gross family income is $90,000 or less and whose net worth is $440,000 or less, not counting the home and one acre. Relief is 100% for income up to $75,000, then 75%, 50% or 25%.

Where can I get help paying utility bills in Fairfax?

Interest-free loan to pay your real estate tax (TAP): The Treasurer's Taxpayer Assistance Program, with MainStreet Bank, offers interest-free loans of $250 to $15,000 for real estate tax, repaid in six to ten monthly installments before the next due date. The only cost is a 7.5% fee paid when you apply. Apply at the Treasurer's Office by appointment or over the phone.

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

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