Photo: Shannon McGee · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Valley Head, AL: what to set up and who to call
Power in Valley Head comes from Sand Mountain Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. For home internet, most of Valley Head can choose between Spectrum and Brightspeed.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Valley Head, 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 Valley Head.
Power comes from Sand Mountain Electric Coop
Sand Mountain Electric Coop (Sand Mountain Electric Coop), a cooperative utility, serves all of Valley Head. Its homes paid an average of 13.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $162 a month (its average across Alabama).
Start or move service: smec.coop · (256) 638-2153
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Fort Payne, the Ww Bd of the water system
The City of Fort Payne, the Ww Bd of the water system supplies Valley Head: about 0% of residents live in its service area. About 100% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 25,107 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. 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. AL0000509.
7 home internet providers serve Valley Head
96% of 256 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 37% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 85% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Brightspeed | DSL | 67% | 80/10 |
| Farmers Telecommunications Corporation | Fiber | 45% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Killians Electronics | Fixed wireless | 97% | 25/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 67% | 25/3 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 42% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Valley Head’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Valley Head.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Valley Head is in DeKalb County School District.
Test scores and every school: see 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.
Valley Head is in ZIP code 35989
ZIP codes where Valley Head residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Valley Head | ZIP’s residents in Valley Head |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35989 | Valley Head, AL | 100% | 18% |
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 Valley Head
Who supplies Valley Head’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Fort Payne, the Ww Bd of the water system (EPA ID AL0000509). 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 Valley Head?
Sand Mountain Electric Coop (Sand Mountain Electric Coop), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 13.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Valley Head?
Spectrum, Brightspeed, Farmers Telecommunications Corporation, Killians Electronics, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Valley Head?
35989. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Valley Head in?
DeKalb County School District.
How do I register to vote in Valley Head?
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 DeKalb 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: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- 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.