Photo: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Chelsea, AL: what to set up and who to call
Most mail in Chelsea goes to 35043 (75% of residents), one of 4 ZIP codes in town. For emergencies, Chelsea is closest to Grandview Medical Center, 10.6 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Chelsea, 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 Chelsea.
Power comes from Alabama Power
Alabama Power (Alabama Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Chelsea. 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 Shelby County Commission-Water Services
Shelby County Commission-Water Services supplies Chelsea: about 62% of residents live in its service area. About 38% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists Central Alabama Water System and Leeds Water Works Board and Town of Columbiana, the Ww Board of the and Talladega-Shelby Water Treatment Plant as sellers) and serves 40,101 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.0 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AL0001671.
4 home internet providers serve Chelsea
98% of 6,247 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 86% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 96% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 1,000/35 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 76% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 27% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Chelsea depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Chelsea, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on cityofchelsea.com
- Bulky itemsEvery week
From cityofchelsea.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Chelsea is in Shelby County School District.
A−School 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 May 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Chelsea spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Chelsea residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Chelsea | ZIP’s residents in Chelsea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35043 | Chelsea, AL | 75% | 81% |
| 35147 | Sterrett, AL | 17% | 45% |
| 35051 | Columbiana, AL | 4% | 7% |
| 35186 | Wilsonville, AL | 4% | 11% |
A few homes fall in 35242.
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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Chelsea
Who supplies Chelsea’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Shelby County Commission-Water Services (EPA ID AL0001671). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Chelsea?
Alabama Power (Alabama Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Chelsea?
AT&T, Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Chelsea?
35043 (75%), 35147 (17%), 35051 (4%), 35186 (4%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Chelsea in?
Shelby County School District.
How do I register to vote in Chelsea?
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 Shelby 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: Chelsea’s own website (cityofchelsea.com), 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.