Photo: Ralf Roletschek - Infos über Fahrräder auf fahrradmonteur.de Wikis in der Ausbildung · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Washington, DC: what to set up and who to call
Washington has its own drop-off, Fort Totten Transfer Station. Washington has a train station, L'Enfant.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Washington, 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 Washington.
Power comes from Potomac Electric Power
Potomac Electric Power (Potomac Electric Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Washington. Its homes paid an average of 20.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $123 a month (its average across District of Columbia, for customers on its standard service). District of Columbia lets you buy power from another supplier; 10% of Potomac Electric Power’s home customers do, and Potomac Electric Power still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from D.c. Water and Sewer Authority
D.c. Water and Sewer Authority supplies almost all of Washington. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Washington Aqueduct Division. as seller) and serves 632,323 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 93% of the 42 systems serving 500,001–1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.0 ppb. That’s higher than 51% 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. DC0000002.
7 home internet providers serve Washington
100% of 122,476 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 71% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 96% | 2,300/2,300 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 73% | 1,500/50 |
| Starry | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 3% | 300/100 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 68% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 59% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Washington
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Washington, from the town’s own site.
Fort Totten Transfer Station
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
From zerowaste.dc.gov, dpw.dc.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Washington is in District of Columbia Public Schools.
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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Washington spans 19 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Washington residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Washington | ZIP’s residents in Washington |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20002 | Washington, DC | 10% | 100% |
| 20011 | Washington, DC | 10% | 100% |
| 20019 | Washington, DC | 9% | 100% |
| 20009 | Washington, DC | 8% | 100% |
| 20020 | Washington, DC | 7% | 100% |
| 20001 | Washington, DC | 7% | 100% |
| 20032 | Washington, DC | 6% | 100% |
| 20003 | Washington, DC | 5% | 100% |
| 20016 | Washington, DC | 5% | 100% |
| 20010 | Washington, DC | 5% | 100% |
| 20008 | Washington, DC | 4% | 100% |
| 20007 | Washington, DC | 4% | 100% |
| 20018 | Washington, DC | 3% | 100% |
| 20017 | Washington, DC | 3% | 100% |
| 20015 | Washington, DC | 2% | 100% |
| 20024 | Washington, DC | 2% | 100% |
| 20012 | Washington, DC | 2% | 100% |
| 20037 | Washington, DC | 2% | 100% |
| 20005 | Washington, DC | 2% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 20036, 20057, 20052, 20064, 20059, 20004, 20006, 20373, 20390, 20319, 20317, 20422, 20591, 20408, 20542, 20535, 20045, 20566, 20515. 20013, 20022, 20026, 20027, 20029, 20030, 20033, 20035, 20038, 20039, 20040, 20041, 20042, 20043, 20044, 20047, 20049, 20050, 20053, 20055, 20056, 20058, 20060, 20061, 20062, 20063, 20065, 20066, 20067, 20068, 20069, 20070, 20071, 20073, 20074, 20075, 20076, 20077, 20078, 20080, 20081, 20082, 20090, 20091, 20201, 20202, 20203, 20204, 20206, 20207, 20208, 20210, 20211, 20212, 20213, 20214, 20215, 20216, 20217, 20218, 20219, 20220, 20221, 20222, 20223, 20224, 20226, 20227, 20228, 20229, 20230, 20232, 20233, 20235, 20237, 20238, 20239, 20240, 20241, 20242, 20244, 20245, 20250, 20251, 20252, 20254, 20260, 20261, 20262, 20265, 20266, 20268, 20270, 20277, 20289, 20299, 20301, 20303, 20306, 20310, 20314, 20318, 20330, 20340, 20350, 20355, 20370, 20372, 20375, 20380, 20389, 20392, 20393, 20394, 20395, 20401, 20402, 20403, 20404, 20405, 20406, 20407, 20409, 20410, 20411, 20412, 20413, 20414, 20415, 20416, 20417, 20418, 20419, 20420, 20421, 20423, 20424, 20425, 20426, 20427, 20428, 20429, 20431, 20433, 20434, 20435, 20436, 20437, 20439, 20440, 20441, 20442, 20444, 20447, 20451, 20453, 20456, 20460, 20463, 20468, 20469, 20470, 20472, 20500, 20501, 20502, 20503, 20504, 20505, 20506, 20507, 20508, 20509, 20510, 20511, 20520, 20521, 20522, 20523, 20524, 20525, 20526, 20527, 20528, 20529, 20530, 20531, 20533, 20534, 20536, 20537, 20538, 20539, 20540, 20541, 20543, 20544, 20546, 20547, 20548, 20549, 20551, 20552, 20553, 20554, 20555, 20557, 20559, 20560, 20565, 20570, 20571, 20572, 20573, 20575, 20576, 20577, 20578, 20579, 20580, 20581, 20585, 20586, 20590, 20593, 20594, 20597, 20599, 56901, 56915, 56920, 56933, 56944, 56972 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Washington
Who supplies Washington’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
D.c. Water and Sewer Authority (EPA ID DC0000002). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 93% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Washington?
Potomac Electric Power (Potomac Electric Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Washington?
Xfinity, Verizon, Astound Broadband, Starry, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Washington?
20002 (10%), 20011 (10%), 20019 (9%), 20009 (8%), 20020 (7%), 20001 (7%), 20032 (6%), 20003 (5%), 20016 (5%), 20010 (5%), 20008 (4%), 20007 (4%), 20018 (3%), 20017 (3%), 20015 (2%), 20024 (2%), 20012 (2%), 20037 (2%), 20005 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Washington in?
District of Columbia Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Washington?
In District of Columbia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before). Elections here are run by the The District of Columbia Board of Elections. Check your registration at apps.dcboe.org.
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: Washington’s own website (zerowaste.dc.gov, dpw.dc.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 Mar 11, 2026 (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.