Photo: Please attribute this image as the work of "DiscoverWithDima." · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Gulf Shores, AL: what to set up and who to call
Power in Gulf Shores comes from Baldwin County El Member, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. For emergencies, Gulf Shores is closest to Baldwin Health, 10.4 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gulf Shores, 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 Gulf Shores.
Power comes from Baldwin County El Member
Baldwin County El Member (Baldwin County El Member Corp), a cooperative utility, serves all of Gulf Shores. Its homes paid an average of 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $160 a month (its average across Alabama).
Start or move service: baldwinemc.com · (251) 989-6247
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Gulf Shores, the Ub of the water system
The City of Gulf Shores, the Ub of the water system supplies Gulf Shores: about 77% of residents live in its service area. Orange Beach Water Sewer and F.p.a. serves another 11%. About 12% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 40,947 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 74% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AL0000038.
7 home internet providers serve Gulf Shores
99% of 8,436 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 78% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 89% | 1,000/50 |
| C Spire | Fiber | 56% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Point Broadband | Fiber | 39% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Brightspeed | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 24% | 940/940 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 73% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 51% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Gulf Shores is Monday or Thursday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Gulf Shores, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (Mon or Thu)Look up your day on gulfshoresal.gov
- Bulky itemsEvery week
City of Gulf Shores Drop Off Recycling Center
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From gulfshoresal.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2025, 2026, Effective June 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.
Gulf Shores is in Gulf Shores City School District.
ASchool 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 Sep 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Gulf Shores is in ZIP code 36542
ZIP codes where Gulf Shores residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gulf Shores | ZIP’s residents in Gulf Shores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36542 | Gulf Shores, AL | 100% | 88% |
A few homes fall in 36561, 36535. 36547 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Gulf Shores
Who supplies Gulf Shores’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Gulf Shores, the Ub of the water system (EPA ID AL0000038). 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 2.4 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gulf Shores?
Baldwin County El Member (Baldwin County El Member Corp), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gulf Shores?
Mediacom Xtream, C Spire, Point Broadband, Brightspeed, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gulf Shores?
36542. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gulf Shores in?
Gulf Shores City School District.
How do I register to vote in Gulf Shores?
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 Baldwin 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: Gulf Shores’ own website (gulfshoresal.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.