Photo: Hunter Trick (TrickHunter) · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Tempe, AZ: what to set up and who to call
Power in Tempe comes from City of Mesa, a municipal utility rather than a private company. Two school districts split the grades in Tempe: Tempe Union High School District and Tempe School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Tempe, 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 Tempe.
Power comes from City of Mesa
City of Mesa (City of Mesa - (AZ)), a municipal utility, serves all of Tempe. Its homes paid an average of 20.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $169 a month (its average across Arizona).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Tempe water system
The City of Tempe water system supplies almost all of Tempe. It draws surface water (EPA lists City of Phoenix and City of Chandler as sellers) and serves 165,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 4.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 5.0 ppb. That’s higher than 88% 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. AZ0407100.
8 home internet providers serve Tempe
95% of 46,149 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 20% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 2,000/100 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 65% | 100/10 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 4% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Tristate Wi-Fi by Wi-Fiber | Fixed wireless | 99% | 400/400 |
| AirFiber WISP | Fixed wireless | 81% | 100/25 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 71% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Tempe’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Tempe.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Tempe is in two districts that split the grades: Tempe Union High School District and Tempe School District.
BSchool 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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Tempe spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Tempe residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Tempe | ZIP’s residents in Tempe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85281 | Tempe, AZ | 38% | 100% |
| 85282 | Tempe, AZ | 29% | 100% |
| 85283 | Tempe, AZ | 22% | 88% |
| 85284 | Tempe, AZ | 10% | 100% |
85280, 85285, 85287, 85288 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Tempe
Who supplies Tempe’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Tempe water system (EPA ID AZ0407100). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.4 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Tempe?
City of Mesa (City of Mesa - (AZ)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 20.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Tempe?
Cox Communications, CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber, Tristate Wi-Fi by Wi-Fiber, AirFiber WISP, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Tempe?
85281 (38%), 85282 (29%), 85283 (22%), 85284 (10%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Tempe in?
Tempe Union High School District and Tempe School District. Parts of the city are in Kyrene Elementary District and Mesa Unified District.
How do I register to vote in Tempe?
In Arizona you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before). Elections here are run by the Maricopa County Recorder. Check your registration at my.arizona.vote.
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 Sep 12, 2025 (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.