Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Living in Cortez, CO: what to set up and who to call
Power in Cortez comes from Empire Electric Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. For a library card, the closest branch is Cortez Public Library, 0.1 miles out.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cortez, 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 Cortez.
Power comes from Empire Electric Assn
Empire Electric Assn (Empire Electric Assn, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Cortez. Its homes paid an average of 15.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $110 a month (its average across Colorado).
Start or move service: www.eea.coop · (970) 565-4444
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Cortez water system
The City of Cortez water system supplies almost all of Cortez. It draws surface water and serves 8,770 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 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. The highest in five years was 3.4 ppb. That’s higher than 73% 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. CO0142200.
10 home internet providers serve Cortez
100% of 3,802 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 98% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TDS Telecom | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,000/20 |
| Visionary Broadband | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 97% | 100/20 |
| Clearnetworx | Fiber | 97% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 43% | 40/3 |
| Nimbus Solutions | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/100 |
| AlignTec Incorporated | Fixed wireless | 98% | 50/25 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Cortez is any weekday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Cortez, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (any weekday)Find your street’s day on cortezco.gov →
- RecyclingEvery week
- Bulky itemsCall to book
City of Cortez Service Center public recycling drop-off
110 West Progress Circle, Cortez, CO 81321
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Sorted recycling
Separate your recyclables by material.
Public Drop-Off at the City Service Center
110 W Progress Circle, Cortez, CO 81321
From cortezco.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2022, 2026-09-27. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cortez is in Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1.
DSchool 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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Cortez is in ZIP code 81321
ZIP codes where Cortez residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cortez | ZIP’s residents in Cortez |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81321 | Cortez, CO | 100% | 61% |
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 Cortez
Who supplies Cortez’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Cortez water system (EPA ID CO0142200). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% 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 Cortez?
Empire Electric Assn (Empire Electric Assn, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cortez?
TDS Telecom, Visionary Broadband, Clearnetworx, CenturyLink, Nimbus Solutions, AlignTec Incorporated (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cortez?
81321. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cortez in?
Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1.
How do I register to vote in Cortez?
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 Montezuma 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: Cortez’s own website (cortezco.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.