Living in South Dos Palos, CA: what to set up and who to call
The City of Dos Palos water system reported 11 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×11. 80% of systems its size reported none. South Dos Palos has no town government of its own, so Merced County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in South Dos Palos, 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 South Dos Palos.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of South Dos Palos. 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 Dos Palos water system
The City of Dos Palos water system supplies almost all of South Dos Palos. It draws surface water and serves 7,452 people in all.
11 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×11, the latest beginning Apr 2026. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 62% 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. CA2410002.
5 home internet providers serve South Dos Palos
100% of 433 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 77% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Xfinity | Cable | 29% | 1,200/35 |
| unWired Broadband | Fixed wireless | 100% | 400/50 |
| Cal.net | Fixed wireless | 99% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 90% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have South Dos Palos’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in South Dos Palos.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
South Dos Palos is in Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District.
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
South Dos Palos is unincorporated, so Merced County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
South Dos Palos spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where South Dos Palos residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of South Dos Palos | ZIP’s residents in South Dos Palos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93620 | Dos Palos, CA | 69% | 12% |
| 93665 | South Dos Palos, CA | 31% | 100% |
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 South Dos Palos
Who supplies South Dos Palos’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Dos Palos water system (EPA ID CA2410002). It reported 11 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×11. 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.6 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in South Dos Palos?
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 South Dos Palos?
Frontier, Xfinity, unWired Broadband, Cal.net, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in South Dos Palos?
93620 (69%), 93665 (31%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is South Dos Palos in?
Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in South Dos Palos?
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 Merced County Registrar of Voters - 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: 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.