Living in Fernwood, ID: what to set up and who to call
Fernwood has no town government of its own, so Benewah County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend St. Maries Joint School District 41. Tap water in most of Fernwood comes from Fernwood Water Dist, 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.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Fernwood, 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 Fernwood.
Power comes from Avista
Avista (Avista Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Fernwood. Its homes paid an average of 11.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Idaho).
Start or move service: avistacorp.com · (509) 489-0500
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Fernwood Water Dist
Fernwood Water Dist supplies Fernwood: about 78% of residents live in its service area. About 22% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 514 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. ID1050011.
3 home internet providers serve Fernwood
0% of 187 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziply Fiber | DSL, Fixed wireless | 67% | 10/1 |
| First Step Internet | Fixed wireless | 88% | 25/4 |
| Inland Cellular | Fixed wireless | 81% | 50/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Fernwood’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Fernwood.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Fernwood is in St. Maries Joint School District 41.
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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Fernwood is unincorporated, so Benewah County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Fernwood is in ZIP code 83830
ZIP codes where Fernwood residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Fernwood | ZIP’s residents in Fernwood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83830 | Fernwood, ID | 100% | 48% |
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 Fernwood
Who supplies Fernwood’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Fernwood Water Dist (EPA ID ID1050011). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Fernwood?
Avista (Avista Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Fernwood?
Ziply Fiber, First Step Internet, Inland Cellular (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Fernwood?
83830. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Fernwood in?
St. Maries Joint School District 41.
How do I register to vote in Fernwood?
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 Benewah 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.