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The Hays handbook

Living in Hays, KS: what to set up and who to call

Power in Hays comes from Midwest Energy, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Hays Unified School District 489 runs the public schools in Hays.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Hays, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Hays.

Electricity

Power comes from Midwest Energy

Midwest Energy (Midwest Energy Inc - (KS)), a cooperative utility, serves all of Hays. Its homes paid an average of 12.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Kansas).

Start or move service: mwenergy.com

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from City of Hays water system

The City of Hays water system supplies Hays: about 94% of residents live in its service area. Trego Co RWD 2 serves another 5%. It draws ground water and serves 21,040 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.

Lead, 90th percentile0.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.1 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.

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. KS2005111.

Internet

5 home internet providers serve Hays

100% of 7,498 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Nex-TechFiber100%1,000/1,000
Vyve BroadbandCable100%2,000/50
AT&TFixed wireless, DSL84%100/20
T-MobileFixed wireless85%100/20
VerizonFixed wireless83%300/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

Trash day in Hays depends on your street

Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Hays, from the town’s own site.

How trash works hereTown pickupTown crews pick up at the curbhaysusa.com
Trash dayBy addressDepends on your addressLook up your day on haysusa.com →
Pickup

Your pickup week

Drop-off

Recycling Collection Site

1780 W. 55th, Hays, KS 67601

We couldn’t find its opening hours.

Recycling drop-off

Recycling Collection Site

1780 W. 55th, Hays, KS 67601

The town’s recycling and trash guidesHays Trash Route (PDF) →
Furniture, appliances and bulky itemsCall to bookBulk items can be collected for a fee through a Special Collection; call the Solid Waste Division at 785-628-7350 first.
What can be recycledThe town’s recycling pagehaysusa.com →

From haysusa.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2013. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .

Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Hays kids go to
K–54 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–8Hays Middle SchoolHays Unified School District 489
9–12Hays HighHays Unified School District 489

Hays is in Hays Unified School District 489.

A−School gradeSee Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Hays is in ZIP code 67601

ZIP codes where Hays residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of HaysZIP’s residents in Hays
67601Hays, KS100%86%
Area code785Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Hays

Who supplies Hays’ drinking water, and has it had violations?

The City of Hays water system (EPA ID KS2005111). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Hays?

Midwest Energy (Midwest Energy Inc - (KS)), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 12.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Hays?

Nex-Tech, Vyve Broadband, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Hays?

67601. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Hays in?

Hays Unified School District 489.

How do I register to vote in Hays?

In Kansas you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Ellis County Clerk. Check your registration at myvoteinfo.voteks.org.

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: Hays’ own website (haysusa.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 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.