Photo: Adam Paetow · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Penrose, CO: what to set up and who to call
Penrose has no town government of its own, so Fremont County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Fremont RE-2. Tap water in Penrose comes from the Penrose WD water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Penrose, 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 Penrose.
Power comes from Black Hills Colorado Electric
Black Hills Colorado Electric (Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Penrose. Its homes paid an average of 18.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $95 a month (its average across Colorado).
Start or move service: blackhillsenergy.com · (800) 694-8989
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Penrose WD water system
The Penrose WD water system supplies almost all of Penrose. It draws surface water and serves 3,149 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 2026–Dec 2028, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 0.5 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. CO0122700.
7 home internet providers serve Penrose
98% of 1,764 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 10% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SECOM | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 300/50 |
| Spectrum | Cable | 83% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 20% | 40/3 |
| Visionary Broadband | Fixed wireless | 92% | 50/10 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 88% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 46% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Penrose’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Penrose.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Penrose is in Fremont RE-2.
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
Penrose is unincorporated, so Fremont 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.
Penrose is in ZIP code 81240
ZIP codes where Penrose residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Penrose | ZIP’s residents in Penrose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81240 | Penrose, CO | 100% | 84% |
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 Penrose
Who supplies Penrose’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Penrose WD water system (EPA ID CO0122700). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2026–Dec 2028), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Penrose?
Black Hills Colorado Electric (Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Penrose?
SECOM, Spectrum, CenturyLink, Visionary Broadband, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Penrose?
81240. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Penrose in?
Fremont RE-2.
How do I register to vote in Penrose?
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 Fremont 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.