Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0Living in Clifton, CO: what to set up and who to call
Clifton has no town government of its own, so Mesa County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Mesa County Valley School District 51. The closest public drop-off to Clifton is Mesa County Landfill (Electronics/Hazardous Waste), 5 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Clifton, 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 Clifton.
Power comes from Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (Public Service Co. of Colorado), an investor-owned utility, serves 99.3% of Clifton residents. Its homes paid an average of 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $93 a month (its average across Colorado).
Start or move service: xcelenergy.com · (800) 895-4999
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Clifton WD water system
The Clifton WD water system supplies Clifton: 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 City of Grand Junction and Ute Wcd as sellers) and serves 34,500 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 72% 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. CO0139180.
7 home internet providers serve Clifton
100% of 7,312 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 54% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,000/35 |
| Clearnetworx | Fiber | 57% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 14% | 10/1 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 75% | 50/10 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 60% | 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.
The nearest public drop-off is 5 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Clifton.
Mesa County Landfill (Electronics/Hazardous Waste)
· run by Mesa County Landfill
This isn’t Clifton’s own facility. Whether Clifton residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Clifton is in Mesa County Valley School District 51.
BSchool 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
Clifton is unincorporated, so Mesa County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Clifton spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Clifton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Clifton | ZIP’s residents in Clifton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81520 | Clifton, CO | 60% | 88% |
| 81504 | Grand Junction, CO | 40% | 26% |
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 Clifton
Who supplies Clifton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Clifton WD water system (EPA ID CO0139180). 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 2.2 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Clifton?
Xcel Energy (Public Service Co. of Colorado), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Clifton?
Spectrum, Clearnetworx, CenturyLink, Rise Broadband, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Clifton?
81520 (60%), 81504 (40%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Clifton in?
Mesa County Valley School District 51.
How do I register to vote in Clifton?
In Colorado you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 8 days before). Elections here are run by the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder. Check your registration at sos.state.co.us.
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.