Photo: Mercurywoodrose · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Hayward, CA: what to set up and who to call
Hayward spans 4 ZIP codes; 94544 holds the most residents (49%). Trains stop in Hayward.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Hayward, 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 Hayward.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Hayward. 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 City of Hayward water system
The City of Hayward water system supplies Hayward: about 95% of residents live in its service area. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 162,954 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 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. 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. CA0110006.
10 home internet providers serve Hayward
100% of 34,047 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 62% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 89% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Tekify Fiber & Wireless | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 72% | 580/125 |
| Sonic Telecom | Fiber | 28% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Sail Internet | Fixed wireless, DSL | 3% | 200/100 |
| RobinsonHSS | Fixed wireless | 72% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Hayward
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Hayward, from the town’s own site.
Hayward Drop-off
3455 Enterprise Ave.
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Plastic #2 HDPE Bottles - Natural (narrow necks - includes jugs)
- Plastic #2 HDPE Bottles - Color (narrow necks - includes jugs)
- Glass bottles and jars
- Paper and cardboard
From hayward-ca.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated March 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.
Most of Hayward (62%) is in Hayward Unified School District; parts are in New Haven Unified School District (20%) and Castro Valley Unified School District (7%) and San Lorenzo Unified School District (6%) and Pleasanton Unified School District (5%).
C+School 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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Hayward spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Hayward residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Hayward | ZIP’s residents in Hayward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94544 | Hayward, CA | 49% | 100% |
| 94545 | Hayward, CA | 21% | 100% |
| 94541 | Hayward, CA | 21% | 48% |
| 94542 | Hayward, CA | 9% | 94% |
A few homes fall in 94546, 94552, 94588. 94540, 94543, 94557 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Hayward
Who supplies Hayward’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Hayward water system (EPA ID CA0110006). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Hayward?
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 Hayward?
Xfinity, AT&T, Tekify Fiber & Wireless, Sonic Telecom, Sail Internet, RobinsonHSS (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Hayward?
94544 (49%), 94545 (21%), 94541 (21%), 94542 (9%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Hayward in?
Hayward Unified School District. Parts of the city are in New Haven Unified School District and Castro Valley Unified School District and San Lorenzo Unified School District and Pleasanton Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in Hayward?
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 Alameda 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: Hayward’s own website (hayward-ca.gov), 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.