Living in Alta Sierra, CA: what to set up and who to call
Alta Sierra has no town government of its own, so Nevada County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Nevada Joint Union High School District. The closest public drop-off to Alta Sierra is McCourtney Road Transfer Station, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Alta Sierra, 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 Alta Sierra.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Alta Sierra. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Nevada Id - Loma Rica water system
The Nevada Id - Loma Rica water system supplies Alta Sierra: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 5% 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 Nevada Id - E. George, Banner Mountain as seller) and serves 14,072 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 62% 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. CA2910006.
6 home internet providers serve Alta Sierra
99% of 3,006 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 23% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable | 91% | 500/20 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 44% | 5,000/5,000 |
| SmarterBroadband | Fixed wireless | 96% | 100/25 |
| Cal.net | Fixed wireless | 49% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 41% | 300/20 |
| DigitalPath | Fixed wireless | 28% | 200/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Alta Sierra.
McCourtney Road Transfer Station
14741 Wolf Mountain Road, Grass Valley, CA, 95949 · run by Waste Management
This isn’t Alta Sierra’s own facility. Whether Alta Sierra residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Alta Sierra is in two districts that split the grades: Nevada Joint Union High School District and Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Alta Sierra is unincorporated, so Nevada County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Alta Sierra is in ZIP code 95949
ZIP codes where Alta Sierra residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Alta Sierra | ZIP’s residents in Alta Sierra |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95949 | Grass Valley, CA | 100% | 35% |
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 Alta Sierra
Who supplies Alta Sierra’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Nevada Id - Loma Rica water system (EPA ID CA2910006). 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 0.8 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Alta Sierra?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Alta Sierra?
Optimum, AT&T, SmarterBroadband, Cal.net, Verizon, DigitalPath (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Alta Sierra?
95949. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Alta Sierra in?
Nevada Joint Union High School District and Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Grass Valley Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Alta Sierra?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Nevada County Clerk - Elections. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.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.