Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Birmingham, AL: what to set up and who to call
Birmingham has its own drop-off, Birmingham Eastern Landfill, on 2787 Alton Drive. Trains stop in Birmingham.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Birmingham, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Birmingham.
Power comes from Alabama Power
Alabama Power (Alabama Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Birmingham. Its homes paid an average of 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $202 a month (its average across Alabama).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Central Alabama Water System
Central Alabama Water System supplies almost all of Birmingham. It draws surface water and serves 585,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 93% of the 42 systems serving 500,001–1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 1.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.8 ppb. That’s lower than 59% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AL0000738.
4 home internet providers serve Birmingham
98% of 71,966 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 48% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 89% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 80% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 61% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Birmingham depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Birmingham, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on birminghamal.gov →
- RecyclingEvery other week, same day as trashCheck which week on birminghamal.gov →
When a holiday falls on a weekday, pickup slides one day later for the rest of that week.
Eastern Area Landfill Public Unloading Area
2787 Alton Road, Birmingham, AL 35210
- Mon10 am–3 pm
- Tue10 am–3 pm
- Wed10 am–3 pm
- Thu10 am–3 pm
- Fri10 am–3 pm
- Sat8 am–noon
Cost: No fee for residential disposal
Accepted at the curb
- Paper (newspapers, magazines, office paper, junk mail)
- Cardboard (flattened boxes, tissue boxes, cereal boxes)
- Plastics #1 and #2 such as bottles, jugs and jars with caps
- Plastic and cardboard detergent containers
- Aluminum cans, steel cans and tin cans (must be rinsed)
Secure Shredding and Recycling
135 Distribution Dr, Homewood, AL 35209
Gone For Good
101 Oslo Circle, Birmingham, AL 35211
UAB Recycling Center
620 11th street S, Birmingham, AL 35294
Bessemer Recycling Center
1601 1st Avenue North, 35020
From birminghamal.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026 (site copyright), Calendar Oct 2026 (site copyright 2026). Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Birmingham is in Birmingham City School District.
DSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Birmingham spans 24 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Birmingham residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Birmingham | ZIP’s residents in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35211 | Birmingham, AL | 12% | 100% |
| 35215 | Birmingham, AL | 10% | 43% |
| 35205 | Birmingham, AL | 10% | 100% |
| 35206 | Birmingham, AL | 8% | 100% |
| 35208 | Birmingham, AL | 6% | 100% |
| 35212 | Birmingham, AL | 6% | 100% |
| 35204 | Birmingham, AL | 5% | 100% |
| 35235 | Birmingham, AL | 4% | 44% |
| 35222 | Birmingham, AL | 4% | 100% |
| 35214 | Birmingham, AL | 4% | 41% |
| 35207 | Birmingham, AL | 3% | 84% |
| 35218 | Birmingham, AL | 3% | 100% |
| 35209 | Birmingham, AL | 3% | 20% |
| 35234 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 100% |
| 35213 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 29% |
| 35228 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 44% |
| 35217 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 33% |
| 35221 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 100% |
| 35203 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 100% |
| 35210 | Birmingham, AL | 2% | 24% |
| 35243 | Birmingham, AL | 1% | 12% |
| 35233 | Birmingham, AL | 1% | 100% |
| 35224 | Birmingham, AL | 1% | 48% |
| 35242 | Birmingham, AL | 1% | 4% |
A few homes fall in 35061, 35254, 35223, 35022, 35226, 35064, 35094, 35068, 35130, 35020, 35117, 35118, 35173, 35023, 35127. 35201, 35202, 35219, 35220, 35231, 35232, 35236, 35237, 35238, 35246, 35249, 35253, 35255, 35259, 35260, 35261, 35266, 35270, 35282, 35283, 35285, 35287, 35288, 35290, 35291, 35292, 35293, 35294, 35295, 35296, 35297, 35298 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Birmingham
Who supplies Birmingham’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Central Alabama Water System (EPA ID AL0000738). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 93% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.2 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Birmingham?
Alabama Power (Alabama Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Birmingham?
Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Birmingham?
35211 (12%), 35215 (10%), 35205 (10%), 35206 (8%), 35208 (6%), 35212 (6%), 35204 (5%), 35235 (4%), 35222 (4%), 35214 (4%), 35207 (3%), 35218 (3%), 35209 (3%), 35234 (2%), 35213 (2%), 35228 (2%), 35217 (2%), 35221 (2%), 35203 (2%), 35210 (2%), 35243 (1%), 35233 (1%), 35224 (1%), 35242 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Birmingham in?
Birmingham City School District.
How do I register to vote in Birmingham?
In Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Jefferson - Bessemer County Circuit Clerk. Check your registration at myinfo.alabamavotes.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Birmingham’s own website (birminghamal.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.