Portage, WI · Updated Oct 2026

What a Portage 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 Portage house

$7,811a year · $651 a month

Starts at the typical market value, $204,900; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.

Property tax$4,281
2.089% of $204,900
Electricity and gas$2,045
645 kWh a month $1,509 · 62.58 therms $536
Water and sewer$1,485
7,000 gallons a month on Portage Water Utility: water $46, sewer $78 a month
TrashNot included
Garbage and recycling are handled by Columbia County Solid Waste and Recycling, under contract with the City of Portage.
Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.

A Portage house at the typical market value ($204,900) costs about $7,800 a year: $4,280 property tax and charges, $1,490 water and sewer, $2,050 electricity and gas; trash is billed separately, and home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 31, 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:

Money dates

Within 20 days of issueA late payment charge of 1 percent per month is added to water bills not paid within 20 days of issuance.

Who serves this house

Water: Portage Water Utility; Rates effective October 1, 2026: monthly service charge for a 5/8-inch meter plus public fire protection charge, and volume charges per 1,000 gallons used each month.
Property tax: 2.09% of value; 2025 tax year (bills collected 2026), Columbia County
Garbage: Columbia County Solid Waste and Recycling (City contract); The City of Portage contracts with Columbia County Solid Waste and Recycling
Sewer: City of Portage; Monthly service charge plus a charge per 1,000 gallons
Electricity: Alliant Energy; Listed as electric and gas service in Portage
Gas: Alliant Energy; Alliant Energy lists Portage, WI under Electric & Gas

Pay or manage your bills

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How these numbers are made

Property tax uses the 2025 net mill rate of 0.020892873 (2.0893% of value) that Columbia County lists for the City of Portage in the Portage Community School District, applied to the Census median home value of $204,900 as an estimated typical value. The city's assessment ratio was 0.9950 in 2024, so assessed value is close to market value. The state lottery credit is not modeled. School-district rates differ for homes outside the Portage Community School District.
Water is the Portage Water Utility Mg-1 schedule effective October 1, 2026: the $8.11 monthly charge for a 5/8-inch meter plus the $6.31 public fire protection charge, with volume tiers per 1,000 gallons used each month.
Sewer is the city's $26.29 monthly charge plus $7.66 per 1,000 gallons of water used, from the city rates page.
Garbage and recycling: the city's rate pages show no garbage fee and the 2025 budget carries solid waste collection in the general fund, so $0 is used for 2026 bills. WKOW (Oct 8, 2026) and WiscNews (Oct 12, 2026) report the council approved a new annual fee starting in 2027 of about $145 per home, with a net effect of about $87 a year for a $250,000 home after the lower levy; it is not added to the 2026 figures.
Electric and gas use Alliant's Wisconsin Power and Light Rg-1 and Gg-1 rates effective 1/1/2026; the per-therm gas rate adds Alliant's published monthly gas supply market adjustment of -$0.4897 to the base rates ($0.4907 total), which changes monthly. Typical use is the Wisconsin EIA average and Alliant's 751 therms a year.
Modelling: the rate is applied to the Census median home value ($204,900), not an assessed value; homes outside the Portage school district have different school rates; the state lottery credit is not modeled.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

Common questions about Portage house costs

What is the property tax rate in Portage?

About 2.09% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year (bills collected 2026), Columbia County), plus flat charges on the same bill.

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

About $10,446 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Portage?

About $124 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on Portage Water Utility.

How much does trash pickup cost in Portage?

Garbage and recycling are handled by Columbia County Solid Waste and Recycling, under contract with the City of Portage.

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

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