Living in Desert Palms, CA: what to set up and who to call
Desert Palms has no town government of its own, so Riverside County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Desert Sands Unified School District. Power in Desert Palms comes from Imperial Irrigation District, a political subdivision utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Desert Palms, 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 Desert Palms.
Power comes from Imperial Irrigation District
Imperial Irrigation District (Imperial Irrigation District), a political subdivision utility, serves all of Desert Palms. Its homes paid an average of 18.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $202 a month (its average across California).
Start or move service: iid.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Coachella Vwd: Cove Community water system
The Coachella Vwd: Cove Community water system supplies almost all of Desert Palms. It draws ground water (EPA lists Desert Water Agency and Indio Water Authority as sellers) and serves 270,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, 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. CA3310001.
5 home internet providers serve Desert Palms
100% of 5,194 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 100% | 1,000/35 |
| Frontier | Fiber | 99% | 7,000/7,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 74% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 57% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 15% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Desert Palms’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Desert Palms.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Desert Palms is in Desert Sands Unified 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
Desert Palms is unincorporated, so Riverside 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.
Desert Palms is in ZIP code 92211
ZIP codes where Desert Palms residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Desert Palms | ZIP’s residents in Desert Palms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92211 | Palm Desert, CA | 100% | 25% |
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 Desert Palms
Who supplies Desert Palms’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Coachella Vwd: Cove Community water system (EPA ID CA3310001). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Desert Palms?
Imperial Irrigation District (Imperial Irrigation District), a political subdivision utility. Its homes paid about 18.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Desert Palms?
Spectrum, Frontier, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Desert Palms?
92211. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Desert Palms in?
Desert Sands Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in Desert Palms?
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 Riverside 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 National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.