Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainLiving in Columbus, IN: what to set up and who to call
Columbus/Bartholomew County Recycling Center takes recycling in Columbus, open Tue–Sat 7:30 am–4:30 pm (OpenStreetMap). Columbus has its own library, Bartholomew County Public Library, at 536 Fifth Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbus, 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 Columbus.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Indiana, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Columbus. Its homes paid an average of 15.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $149 a month (its average across Indiana).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Columbus Municipal Utility
Columbus Municipal Utility supplies almost all of Columbus. It draws ground water and serves 51,122 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–Dec 2025, was 2.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.6 ppb. That’s higher than 79% 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. IN5203002.
5 home internet providers serve Columbus
100% of 17,339 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 83% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 89% | 5,000/5,000 |
| GigabitNow | Fiber | 79% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 83% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 43% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Columbus depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbus, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on columbus.in.gov
- RecyclingEvery other week, same day as trashCheck which week on columbus.in.gov →
- Bulky itemsCall to book
Columbus/Bartholomew County Recycling Center
720 S. Mapleton Street, Columbus, IN, 47201
- Tue7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Wed7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Thu7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Fri7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Sat7:30 am–4:30 pm
Hours from OpenStreetMap. They can change with the season, so check with the town before you go.
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
From columbus.in.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2023-09-19, 2023-09-26, 2023-09-26T16:57:08-04:00, 2026-01-15T14:37:54-04:00, 2026-03-17, 2026-03-17T16:59:13-04:00. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. . Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Columbus (94%) is in Bartholomew County School Corporation; parts are in Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation (6%).
B−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 Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Columbus spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Columbus residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbus | ZIP’s residents in Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47201 | Columbus, IN | 57% | 62% |
| 47203 | Columbus, IN | 43% | 81% |
47202 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Columbus
When is the Columbus/Bartholomew County Recycling Center open?
Tue–Sat 7:30 am–4:30 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check bcswmd.com before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Columbus’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
Columbus Municipal Utility (EPA ID IN5203002). 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 2.7 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbus?
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Indiana, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Columbus?
Xfinity, AT&T, GigabitNow, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Columbus?
47201 (57%), 47203 (43%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbus in?
Bartholomew County School Corporation. Parts of the city are in Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation.
How do I register to vote in Columbus?
In Indiana you can register online until 29 days before Election Day, in person until 29 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 29 days before). Elections here are run by the Bartholomew County Clerk. Check your registration at indianavoters.in.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: Columbus’ own website (columbus.in.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from. Drop-off hours: 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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.