Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Foster City, CA: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in Foster City: San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District and San Mateo Union High School District. The closest public drop-off to Foster City is Shoreway Recycling Center, 2 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Foster City, 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 Foster City.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Foster City. 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 Estero Municipal Improvement District
Estero Municipal Improvement District supplies almost all of Foster City. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 36,556 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 5.4 ppb. 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. CA4110021.
5 home internet providers serve Foster City
100% of 7,043 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 48% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 93% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless | 91% | 250/100 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 75% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 71% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Foster City depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Foster City, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on fostercity.org
- RecyclingEvery week
- Bulky itemsCall to book
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Metal
- Plastic and glass
- Cardboard
- Paper
Public Recycling Center at the Shoreway Environmental Center
333 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA 94070
From fostercity.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 1/1/2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Foster City is in two districts that split the grades: San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District and San Mateo Union High School District.
ASchool 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 Oct 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Foster City is in ZIP code 94404
ZIP codes where Foster City residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Foster City | ZIP’s residents in Foster City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94404 | San Mateo, CA | 100% | 91% |
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 Foster City
Who supplies Foster City’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Estero Municipal Improvement District (EPA ID CA4110021). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Foster City?
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 Foster City?
Xfinity, AT&T, Etheric Networks, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Foster City?
94404. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Foster City in?
San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District and San Mateo Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in Foster City?
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 San Mateo 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: Foster City’s own website (fostercity.org), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.