Old Capitol · Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Iowa City, IA: what to set up and who to call
Most mail in Iowa City goes to 52240 (36% of residents), one of 4 ZIP codes in town. Public schools here are run by Iowa City Community School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Iowa City, 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 Iowa City.
Power comes from MidAmerican Energy
MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Iowa City. Its homes paid an average of 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $93 a month (its average across Iowa State).
Start or move service: midamericanenergy.com · (888) 427-5632
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Iowa City Water Department
Iowa City Water Department supplies Iowa City: about 90% of residents live in its service area. University Water System serves another 10%. It draws surface water and serves 68,753 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 4.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 89% 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. IA5225079.
8 home internet providers serve Iowa City
100% of 18,037 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 83% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,000/50 |
| ImOn Communications | Fiber | 84% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 67% | 100/10 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 20% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 3% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 83% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Iowa City’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Iowa City.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Iowa City is in Iowa City Community School District.
B−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.
Iowa City spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Iowa City residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Iowa City | ZIP’s residents in Iowa City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52240 | Iowa City, IA | 36% | 79% |
| 52245 | Iowa City, IA | 29% | 100% |
| 52246 | Iowa City, IA | 27% | 89% |
| 52242 | Iowa City, IA | 8% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 52241. 52243, 52244 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Iowa City
Who supplies Iowa City’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Iowa City Water Department (EPA ID IA5225079). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Iowa City?
MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Iowa City?
Mediacom Xtream, ImOn Communications, CenturyLink, Metronet, Quantum Fiber, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Iowa City?
52240 (36%), 52245 (29%), 52246 (27%), 52242 (8%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Iowa City in?
Iowa City Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Iowa City?
In Iowa State 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 Johnson 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.