Crested Butte Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Depot · Photo: Int77345 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Crested Butte, CO: what to set up and who to call
The Town of Crested Butte water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 6.0 ppb, was higher than 94% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Power in Crested Butte comes from Gunnison County Elec Assn., a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Crested Butte, 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 Crested Butte.
Power comes from Gunnison County Elec Assn.
Gunnison County Elec Assn. (Gunnison County Elec Assn.), a cooperative utility, serves all of Crested Butte.
Start or move service: gcea.coop · (800) 726-3523
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Town of Crested Butte water system
The Town of Crested Butte water system supplies almost all of Crested Butte. It draws surface water and serves 2,440 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–Jun 2026, was 6.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 7.0 ppb. That’s higher than 94% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CO0126188.
7 home internet providers serve Crested Butte
100% of 948 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 8% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visionary Broadband | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,000/50 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 89% | 10/1 |
| Xtream Internet | Fixed wireless | 100% | 500/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 98% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 86% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Crested Butte’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Crested Butte.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Crested Butte is in Gunnison Watershed School District RE-1J.
A−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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Crested Butte is in ZIP code 81224
ZIP codes where Crested Butte residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Crested Butte | ZIP’s residents in Crested Butte |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81224 | Crested Butte, CO | 100% | 42% |
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 Crested Butte
Who supplies Crested Butte’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Crested Butte water system (EPA ID CO0126188). 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 6.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Crested Butte?
Gunnison County Elec Assn. (Gunnison County Elec Assn.), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Crested Butte?
Visionary Broadband, Spectrum, CenturyLink, Xtream Internet, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Crested Butte?
81224. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Crested Butte in?
Gunnison Watershed School District RE-1J.
How do I register to vote in Crested Butte?
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 Gunnison 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.