Photo: Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Los Altos, CA: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in Los Altos: Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District and Los Altos Elementary School District. The closest public drop-off to Los Altos is Mountain View Recycling Center, 3 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Los Altos, 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 Los Altos.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Los Altos. 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 Santa Clara Valley Water District
Santa Clara Valley Water District supplies Los Altos: about 50% of residents live in its service area. About 50% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System as seller) and serves 0 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
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. CA4310027.
7 home internet providers serve Los Altos
100% of 10,144 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 86% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 98% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 94% | 300/20 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless | 86% | 250/100 |
| Cruzio | Fixed wireless | 58% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 35% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Los Altos
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Los Altos, from the town’s own site.
Accepted at the curb
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Cans
- Glass bottles and jars
- Plastics labeled 1-7
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check losaltosca.gov →
From losaltosca.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Los Altos is in two districts that split the grades: Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District and Los Altos Elementary School District.
A+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 Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Los Altos spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Los Altos residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Los Altos | ZIP’s residents in Los Altos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94024 | Los Altos, CA | 56% | 76% |
| 94022 | Los Altos, CA | 44% | 67% |
A few homes fall in 94040. 94023 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Los Altos
Who supplies Los Altos’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
Santa Clara Valley Water District (EPA ID CA4310027). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none.
Who provides electricity in Los Altos?
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 Los Altos?
Xfinity, AT&T, Verizon, Etheric Networks, Cruzio, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Los Altos?
94024 (56%), 94022 (44%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Los Altos in?
Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District and Los Altos Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Cupertino Union Elementary School District and Fremont Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in Los Altos?
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 Santa Clara 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: Los Altos’ own website (losaltosca.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.