Photo: Randy Escalada · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Des Plaines, IL: what to set up and who to call
The Des Plaines water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.7 ppb, was higher than 94% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Two school districts split the grades in Des Plaines: Maine Township High School District 207 and Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Des Plaines, 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 Des Plaines.
Power comes from Commonwealth Edison
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Des Plaines. 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 Des Plaines water system
The Des Plaines water system supplies Des Plaines: about 91% of residents live in its service area. Il American-Waycinden serves another 8%. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Northwest Water Commission and Chicago as sellers) and serves 60,675 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–Jun 2026, was 5.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 94% 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. IL0310630.
5 home internet providers serve Des Plaines
100% of 17,494 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 57% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable | 95% | 1,500/50 |
| AT&T | Fiber, Fixed wireless, DSL | 94% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 75% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 68% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) picks up trash in Des Plaines
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Des Plaines, from the town’s own site.
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Steel and aluminum containers, foil
- Flattened cardboard
- Office paper
- Newspaper
- Magazines
- Cartons
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check desplainesil.gov →
From desplainesil.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 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.
Des Plaines is in two districts that split the grades: Maine Township High School District 207 and Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62.
A−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 Apr 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Des Plaines spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Des Plaines residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Des Plaines | ZIP’s residents in Des Plaines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60016 | Des Plaines, IL | 64% | 62% |
| 60018 | Des Plaines, IL | 36% | 73% |
A few homes fall in 60007, 60068. 60017, 60019 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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Des Plaines
Who supplies Des Plaines’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Des Plaines water system (EPA ID IL0310630). 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 5.7 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Des Plaines?
Commonwealth Edison (Commonwealth Edison Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Des Plaines?
Xfinity, Astound Broadband, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Des Plaines?
60016 (64%), 60018 (36%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Des Plaines in?
Maine Township High School District 207 and Des Plaines Community Consolidated School District 62. Parts of the city are in Township High School District 214 and Community Consolidated School District 59 and River Trails School District 26.
How do I register to vote in Des Plaines?
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 Cook 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: Des Plaines’ own website (desplainesil.gov), read Oct 23, 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.