Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Living in Universal, IN: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2025 is still open for Universal Water Works. Union Hospital Clinton, 3.7 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Universal, 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 Universal.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Indiana, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Universal. 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 Universal Water Works
Universal Water Works supplies almost all of Universal. It draws ground water and serves 473 people in all.
5 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×4, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), the latest beginning Dec 2025. 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people had none. 3 older violations are still open, since 2025: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 1.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 6.0 ppb. That’s higher than 63% 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. IN5283011.
4 home internet providers serve Universal
100% of 169 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sparklight | Cable | 100% | 1,000/50 |
| Joink | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 99% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 23% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 21% | 25/6 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Universal’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Universal.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Universal is in South Vermillion Community School Corporation.
Test scores and every school: see 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 2017; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Universal spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Universal residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Universal | ZIP’s residents in Universal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 47884 | Universal, IN | 74% | 98% |
| 47842 | Clinton, IN | 26% | 1% |
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 Universal
Who supplies Universal’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Universal Water Works (EPA ID IN5283011). It reported 5 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×4, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.4 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Universal?
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 Universal?
Sparklight, Joink, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Universal?
47884 (74%), 47842 (26%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Universal in?
South Vermillion Community School Corporation.
How do I register to vote in Universal?
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 Vermillion 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: 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.