Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Living in Columbia, IL: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Columbia is in ZIP code 62236. For a library card, the closest branch is Columbia Public Library, 1.3 miles out.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbia, 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 Columbia.
Power comes from Ameren Illinois Company
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Columbia. Its homes paid an average of 16.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $148 a month (its average across Illinois, for customers on its standard service). Illinois lets you buy power from another supplier; 45% of Ameren Illinois Company’s home customers do, and Ameren Illinois Company still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Columbia water system
The Columbia water system supplies Columbia: about 94% of residents live in its service area. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Dupo and Cahokia Heights and Il American-East St Louis as sellers) and serves 11,129 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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. IL1330050.
6 home internet providers serve Columbia
100% of 4,017 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 37% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisonville Telephone Company | DSL, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 57% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 52% | 100/20 |
| Wisper | Fixed wireless | 25% | 400/30 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 22% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Columbia is Tuesday or Friday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbia, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (Tue or Fri)
- RecyclingEvery week, same day as trash
- Bulky itemsOn set dates
MRC Recycling
3751 Old State Rte. M, Imperial MO 63052
Nice Twice
Corner of Rt. 3 and Park St., Waterloo, IL 62298
From columbiail.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. 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.
Most of Columbia (98%) is in Columbia Community Unit School District 4.
ASchool 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 Sep 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Columbia is in ZIP code 62236
ZIP codes where Columbia residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbia | ZIP’s residents in Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62236 | Columbia, IL | 100% | 79% |
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 Columbia
Who supplies Columbia’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Columbia water system (EPA ID IL1330050). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbia?
Ameren Illinois Company (Ameren Illinois Company), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 16.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Columbia?
Harrisonville Telephone Company, Spectrum, Verizon, AT&T, Wisper, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Columbia?
62236. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbia in?
Columbia Community Unit School District 4.
How do I register to vote in Columbia?
In Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before). Elections here are run by the Monroe County Clerk. Check your registration at ova.elections.il.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: Columbia’s own website (columbiail.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 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.