Marin County Civic Center · Photo: Fizbin at en.wikipedia · Public domainLiving in San Rafael, CA: what to set up and who to call
San Rafael has its own drop-off, Marin Resource Recovery Center, on CA. Two school districts split the grades in San Rafael: San Rafael City High School District and San Rafael City Elementary School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Rafael, 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 Rafael.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of San Rafael. 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 Marin Municipal Water District
Marin Municipal Water District supplies almost all of San Rafael. It draws surface water (EPA lists Sonoma County Water Agency as seller) and serves 186,895 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 2019–Dec 2021, 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. CA2110002.
6 home internet providers serve San Rafael
100% of 16,499 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 41% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 85% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Sonic Telecom | Fiber | 29% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Unwired | Fixed wireless | 72% | 300/25 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 47% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 36% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
San Rafael has its own drop-off: Marin Resource Recovery Center
Where to take trash and recycling in San Rafael, and where the rules are.
Marin Resource Recovery Center
CA
Before you go, check the rules on cityofsanrafael.org.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Oct 2025). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
San Rafael is in two districts that split the grades: San Rafael City High School District and San Rafael City Elementary School District.
B+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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
San Rafael spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where San Rafael residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Rafael | ZIP’s residents in San Rafael |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94901 | San Rafael, CA | 68% | 96% |
| 94903 | San Rafael, CA | 32% | 64% |
A few homes fall in 94904. 94912, 94913, 94915 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 San Rafael
Who supplies San Rafael’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Marin Municipal Water District (EPA ID CA2110002). 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 2019–Dec 2021), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in San Rafael?
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 Rafael?
Xfinity, AT&T, Sonic Telecom, Unwired, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Rafael?
94901 (68%), 94903 (32%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Rafael in?
San Rafael City High School District and San Rafael City Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Dixie Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in San Rafael?
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 Marin County 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: 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.