Photo: David Prasad from Welches, OR., United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Fairmead, CA: what to set up and who to call
Fairmead has no town government of its own, so Madera County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Chowchilla Elementary School District. Wired internet is thin in Fairmead: the FCC’s map has 49% of addresses able to get it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Fairmead, 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 Fairmead.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Fairmead. 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 Md 33 Fairmead water system
The Md 33 Fairmead water system supplies Fairmead: about 36% of residents live in its service area. About 64% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 568 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 64% 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. CA2000554.
5 home internet providers serve Fairmead
100% of 380 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 72% | 100/20 |
| Cal.net | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| unWired Broadband | Fixed wireless | 100% | 400/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 92% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 83% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Fairmead’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Fairmead.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Fairmead is in two districts that split the grades: Chowchilla Elementary School District and Chowchilla Union High School District.
C−School 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
Fairmead is unincorporated, so Madera County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Fairmead is in ZIP code 93610
ZIP codes where Fairmead residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Fairmead | ZIP’s residents in Fairmead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93610 | Chowchilla, CA | 100% | 5% |
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 Fairmead
Who supplies Fairmead’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Md 33 Fairmead water system (EPA ID CA2000554). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.6 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Fairmead?
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 Fairmead?
AT&T, Cal.net, unWired Broadband, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Fairmead?
93610. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Fairmead in?
Chowchilla Elementary School District and Chowchilla Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in Fairmead?
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 Madera County Elections Division. 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.