Buchanan County Court House · Photo: Kevin Schuchmann · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Independence, IA: what to set up and who to call
Independence runs its own electric utility, City of Independence; its homes paid 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025. Independence Water Dept has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 7.1 ppb, was higher than 96% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Independence, 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 Independence.
Power comes from City of Independence
City of Independence (City of Independence - (IA)), a municipal utility, serves 85.1% of Independence residents. Its homes paid an average of 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $98 a month (its average across Iowa).
Start or move service: indytel.com · (319) 332-0100
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Independence Water Dept
Independence Water Dept supplies almost all of Independence. It draws ground water and serves 6,064 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 7.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 7.3 ppb. That’s higher than 96% 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. IA1037070.
7 home internet providers serve Independence
100% of 2,711 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Telecommunications Utility | Fiber, Cable | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 1,000/50 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 48% | 80/10 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 91% | 150/130 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 89% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 28% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Independence is Tuesday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Independence, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
From independenceia.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2025-06-24. 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.
Independence is in Independence Community School District.
C+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 Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Independence is in ZIP code 50644
ZIP codes where Independence residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Independence | ZIP’s residents in Independence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50644 | Independence, IA | 100% | 69% |
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 Independence
Who supplies Independence’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Independence Water Dept (EPA ID IA1037070). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 7.1 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Independence?
City of Independence (City of Independence - (IA)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Independence?
Independence Telecommunications Utility, Mediacom Xtream, CenturyLink, GigFire, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Independence?
50644. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Independence in?
Independence Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Independence?
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 Buchanan 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: Independence’s own website (independenceia.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 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.