Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Rensselaer, IN: what to set up and who to call
Rensselaer runs its own electric utility, City of Rensselaer. Rensselaer Water Department has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 12.1 ppb, was higher than 99% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Rensselaer, 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 Rensselaer.
Power comes from City of Rensselaer
City of Rensselaer (City of Rensselaer - (IN)), a municipal utility, serves 92.3% of Rensselaer residents.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Rensselaer Water Department
Rensselaer Water Department supplies Rensselaer: about 92% of residents live in its service area. About 8% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 6,200 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 12.1 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. IN5237005.
7 home internet providers serve Rensselaer
99% of 2,396 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 88% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NITCO | Cable, Fixed wireless, Fiber | 99% | 1,000/20 |
| Brightspeed | Fiber, DSL | 90% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Connect-Internet by Jasper County REMC | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 78% | 75/10 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 86% | 100/20 |
| Midway Net | Fixed wireless | 79% | 80/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 75% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Rensselaer is any weekday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Rensselaer, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (any weekday)The town’s pickup schedule (PDF)
Holidays change the pickup schedule: check the town’s calendar for those weeks.
Recycling facility (Sanitation Department recycling drop-off)
820 E Walnut St, Rensselaer, IN
- Mon7:30 am–4 pm
- Tue7:30 am–4 pm
- Wed7:30 am–4 pm
- Thu7:30 am–4 pm
- Fri7:30 am–4 pm
- Sat8 am–noon
From rensselaer.in.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 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.
Rensselaer is in Rensselaer Central School Corporation.
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 Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Rensselaer is in ZIP code 47978
ZIP codes where Rensselaer residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Rensselaer | ZIP’s residents in Rensselaer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47978 | Rensselaer, IN | 100% | 53% |
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 Rensselaer
Who supplies Rensselaer’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Rensselaer Water Department (EPA ID IN5237005). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 12.1 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Rensselaer?
City of Rensselaer (City of Rensselaer - (IN)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Rensselaer?
NITCO, Brightspeed, Connect-Internet by Jasper County REMC, AT&T, Midway Net, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Rensselaer?
47978. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Rensselaer in?
Rensselaer Central School Corporation.
How do I register to vote in Rensselaer?
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 Jasper County Circuit Court 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: Rensselaer’s own website (rensselaer.in.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 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.