Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Buffalo, IA: what to set up and who to call
Buffalo runs its own electric utility, City of Buffalo. Tap water in most of Buffalo comes from Buffalo Water Supply, 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 Buffalo, 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 Buffalo.
Power comes from City of Buffalo
City of Buffalo (City of Buffalo - (IA)), a municipal utility, serves all of Buffalo.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Buffalo Water Supply
Buffalo Water Supply supplies Buffalo: about 81% of residents live in its service area. Valley Heights 1st Annex serves another 6%. About 10% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 1,176 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.0 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. IA8218050.
5 home internet providers serve Buffalo
96% of 537 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 92% | 100/10 |
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable | 89% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 73% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 7% | 100/20 |
| Nextlink | Fixed wireless | 2% | 400/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Scott Area Landfill is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Where to take trash and recycling in Buffalo, and where the rules are.
Scott Area Landfill
11555 110th Avenue
- Mon7 am–3:30 pm
- Tue7 am–3:30 pm
- Wed7 am–3:30 pm
- Thu7 am–3:30 pm
- Fri7 am–3:30 pm
- Sat8 am–11:30 am
Hours from OpenStreetMap, last updated Nov 2025. They can change with the season, so check wastecom.com before you go.
Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Buffalo is in Davenport Community School District.
D−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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Buffalo spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Buffalo residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Buffalo | ZIP’s residents in Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52728 | Buffalo, IA | 87% | 98% |
| 52726 | Blue Grass, IA | 8% | 2% |
| 52804 | Davenport, IA | 5% | 0% |
A few homes fall in 52802.
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 Buffalo
When is the Scott Area Landfill open?
Mon–Fri 7 am–3:30 pm; Sat 8 am–11:30 am, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check wastecom.com before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Buffalo’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Buffalo Water Supply (EPA ID IA8218050). 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 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Buffalo?
City of Buffalo (City of Buffalo - (IA)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Buffalo?
CenturyLink, Mediacom Xtream, Verizon, T-Mobile, Nextlink (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Buffalo?
52728 (87%), 52726 (8%), 52804 (5%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Buffalo in?
Davenport Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Buffalo?
In Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Scott County Auditor. Check your registration at sos.iowa.gov.
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.