Photo: Johnnie Tran · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in DeKalb, IL: what to set up and who to call
The Dekalb water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 13.0 ppb, was higher than 99% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). For emergencies, DeKalb is closest to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, 2 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in DeKalb, 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 DeKalb.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of DeKalb. Its homes paid an average of 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Illinois, for customers on its standard service). Illinois lets you buy power from another supplier; 20% of Commonwealth Edison’s home customers do, and Commonwealth Edison still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Dekalb water system
The Dekalb water system supplies almost all of DeKalb. It draws ground water and serves 40,290 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–Jun 2026, was 13.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 99% 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. IL0370100.
8 home internet providers serve DeKalb
100% of 9,174 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 1,200/35 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 92% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 87% | 7,000/7,000 |
| DNA Communications | DSL, Fiber | 53% | 1,024/1,024 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 72% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 66% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in DeKalb is Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in DeKalb, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (Wed, Thu or Fri)Look up your day on cityofdekalb.com
- RecyclingEvery week
- Bulky itemsEvery week
From cityofdekalb.com, 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 DeKalb (96%) is in DeKalb Community Unit School District 428; parts are in Sycamore Community Unit School District 427 (4%).
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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
DeKalb is in ZIP code 60115
ZIP codes where DeKalb residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of DeKalb | ZIP’s residents in DeKalb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60115 | Dekalb, IL | 100% | 95% |
A few homes fall in 60178.
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 DeKalb
Who supplies DeKalb’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Dekalb water system (EPA ID IL0370100). 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 13.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in DeKalb?
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve DeKalb?
Xfinity, Metronet, Frontier, DNA Communications, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in DeKalb?
60115. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is DeKalb in?
DeKalb Community Unit School District 428. Parts of the city are in Sycamore Community Unit School District 427.
How do I register to vote in DeKalb?
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 DeKalb 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: DeKalb’s own website (cityofdekalb.com), 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.