Photo: Bede735 · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Ouray, CO: what to set up and who to call
Trash goes out on Thursdays in Ouray. Power in Ouray comes from San Miguel Power Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ouray, 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 Ouray.
Power comes from San Miguel Power Assn
San Miguel Power Assn (San Miguel Power Assn, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Ouray. Its homes paid an average of 16.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $135 a month (its average across Colorado).
Start or move service: smpa.com · (877) 864-7311
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Tri County Wcd water system
The Tri County Wcd water system supplies Ouray: about 51% of residents live in its service area. About 49% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Project 7 Wa as seller) and serves 20,490 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–Dec 1999, was 6.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. It’s from 1999: EPA has no newer result for this system.
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. CO0143755.
4 home internet providers serve Ouray
100% of 690 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vero Fiber | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 99% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Clearnetworx | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 97% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 80% | 10/1 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 72% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Ouray is Thursday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Ouray, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
From cityofouray.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026. 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.
Ouray is in Ouray School District R-1.
Test scores and every school: see 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.
Ouray is in ZIP code 81427
ZIP codes where Ouray residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ouray | ZIP’s residents in Ouray |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81427 | Ouray, CO | 100% | 82% |
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 Ouray
Who supplies Ouray’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Tri County Wcd water system (EPA ID CO0143755). 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 6.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 1999), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ouray?
San Miguel Power Assn (San Miguel Power Assn, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 16.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ouray?
Vero Fiber, Clearnetworx, CenturyLink, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ouray?
81427. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ouray in?
Ouray School District R-1.
How do I register to vote in Ouray?
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 Ouray 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: Ouray’s own website (cityofouray.com), read Oct 22, 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.