Photo: Shayan (USA) from San Jose, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0Living in Bear Valley, CA: what to set up and who to call
Lake Alpine Water Company reported 8 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×8. 78% of systems its size reported none. Bear Valley has no town government of its own, so Alpine County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Alpine County Unified School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bear Valley, 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 Bear Valley.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Bear Valley. 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 Lake Alpine Water Company
Lake Alpine Water Company supplies Bear Valley: about 84% of residents live in its service area. About 16% 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 625 people in all.
8 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×8, the latest beginning Oct 2022. 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA0210001.
Which providers serve Bear Valley
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Bear Valley, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.
Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.
Bear Valley has its own drop-off: Bear Valley Transfer Station
Where to take trash and recycling in Bear Valley, and where the rules are.
Bear Valley Transfer Station
Before you go, check the rules with the town.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Oct 2015). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bear Valley is in Alpine County Unified 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Bear Valley is unincorporated, so Alpine County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Bear Valley is in ZIP code 95223
ZIP codes where Bear Valley residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bear Valley | ZIP’s residents in Bear Valley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95223 | Arnold, CA | 100% | 3% |
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 Bear Valley
Who supplies Bear Valley’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Lake Alpine Water Company (EPA ID CA0210001). It reported 8 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×8. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bear Valley?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in Bear Valley?
95223. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bear Valley in?
Alpine County Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in Bear Valley?
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 Alpine County Clerk, Registrar of Voters. 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): pending.