Living in Searles Valley, CA: what to set up and who to call
Searles Valley has no town government of its own, so San Bernardino County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Trona Joint Unified School District. Searles Valley has its own drop-off, Trona-Argus Transfer Station, on 83000 First Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Searles Valley, 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 Searles Valley.
Power comes from Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison (Southern California Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Searles Valley. Its homes paid an average of 31.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $149 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 30% of Southern California Edison’s home customers do, and Southern California Edison still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Searles Valley Minerals Operations Inc water system
The Searles Valley Minerals Operations Inc water system supplies Searles Valley: about 20% of residents live in its service area. About 80% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Indian Wells Valley W.d. as seller) and serves 1,818 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, 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. CA3610854.
3 home internet providers serve Searles Valley
91% of 934 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 92% | 2,000/2,000 |
| SBC-Wireless | Fixed wireless | 98% | 100/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 42% | 25/6 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Searles Valley has its own drop-off: Trona-Argus Transfer Station
Where to take trash and recycling in Searles Valley, and where the rules are.
Trona-Argus Transfer Station
83000 First Street, Trona, CA
Before you go, check the rules on cms.sbcounty.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Aug 2021). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Searles Valley (87%) is in Trona Joint Unified School District; parts are in Sierra Sands Unified School District (13%).
C−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Searles Valley is unincorporated, so San Bernardino County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Searles Valley is in ZIP code 93562
ZIP codes where Searles Valley residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Searles Valley | ZIP’s residents in Searles Valley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93562 | Trona, CA | 100% | 96% |
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 Searles Valley
Who supplies Searles Valley’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Searles Valley Minerals Operations Inc water system (EPA ID CA3610854). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Searles Valley?
Southern California Edison (Southern California Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 31.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Searles Valley?
Frontier, SBC-Wireless, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Searles Valley?
93562. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Searles Valley in?
Trona Joint Unified School District. Parts of the city are in Sierra Sands Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in Searles Valley?
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 Bernardino 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.