Building at 247 Pleasant Avenue · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Challis, ID: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Challis comes from the City of Challis 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 of 1.0 ppb. Power in Challis comes from Salmon River Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Challis, 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 Challis.
Power comes from Salmon River Electric Coop
Salmon River Electric Coop (Salmon River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Challis. Its homes paid an average of 9.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $123 a month (its average across Idaho).
Start or move service: srec.org · (208) 879-2283
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Challis water system
The City of Challis water system supplies almost all of Challis. It draws surface water and serves 900 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 5.0 ppb. That’s lower 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. ID7190013.
2 home internet providers serve Challis
92% of 618 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 89% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CusterTel | Fiber | 86% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 77% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 1 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Challis.
Blue Mountain Refuse Dump Site
· run by Blue Mountain Refuse, Inc.
This isn’t Challis’ own facility. Whether Challis residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Challis is in Challis Joint School District 181.
Test scores and every school: see 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 Aug 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Challis is in ZIP code 83226
ZIP codes where Challis residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Challis | ZIP’s residents in Challis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83226 | Challis, ID | 100% | 39% |
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 Challis
Who supplies Challis’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Challis water system (EPA ID ID7190013). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Challis?
Salmon River Electric Coop (Salmon River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 9.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Challis?
CusterTel, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Challis?
83226. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Challis in?
Challis Joint School District 181.
How do I register to vote in Challis?
In Idaho you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 11 days before). Elections here are run by the Custer County Clerk. Check your registration at elections.sos.idaho.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 Sep 12, 2025 (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.