Photo: CityofSanCarlos · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in San Carlos, CA: what to set up and who to call
California Water Service - San Carlos has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.8 ppb, was higher than 92% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). For trash and recycling, San Carlos has Recology San Mateo County at 225 Shoreway Road; OpenStreetMap lists it open Mon–Sat 8:30 am–4 pm.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Carlos, 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 San Carlos.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of San Carlos. 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 California Water Service - San Carlos
California Water Service - San Carlos supplies almost all of San Carlos. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists San Francisco Regional Water System and Mid-Peninsula Water District and City of Redwood City as sellers) and serves 35,344 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 5.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 7.3 ppb. That’s higher than 92% 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. CA4110007.
6 home internet providers serve San Carlos
100% of 9,603 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 96% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Sonic Telecom | Fiber | 71% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 83% | 300/20 |
| Etheric Networks | Fixed wireless | 66% | 250/100 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 61% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Recology picks up trash in San Carlos
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in San Carlos, from the town’s own site.
Recology San Mateo County
225 Shoreway Road, San Carlos, CA, 94070
- Mon8:30 am–4 pm
- Tue8:30 am–4 pm
- Wed8:30 am–4 pm
- Thu8:30 am–4 pm
- Fri8:30 am–4 pm
- Sat8:30 am–4 pm
Hours from OpenStreetMap. They can change with the season, so check with the town before you go.
From cityofsancarlos.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026; pages dated January 1, 2024. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. . Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
San Carlos is in two districts that split the grades: Sequoia Union High School District and San Carlos 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 Oct 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
San Carlos is in ZIP code 94070
ZIP codes where San Carlos residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Carlos | ZIP’s residents in San Carlos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94070 | San Carlos, CA | 100% | 97% |
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 San Carlos
When is the Recology San Mateo County open?
Mon–Sat 8:30 am–4 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check recology.com before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies San Carlos’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
California Water Service - San Carlos (EPA ID CA4110007). 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 5.8 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in San Carlos?
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 San Carlos?
Xfinity, AT&T, Sonic Telecom, Verizon, Etheric Networks, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Carlos?
94070. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Carlos in?
Sequoia Union High School District and San Carlos Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Redwood City Elementary School District and Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in San Carlos?
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: San Carlos’ own website (cityofsancarlos.org), read Oct 23, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from. Drop-off hours: 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.