LUNA (tugboat) · Photo: Nkwoodward · CC BY 4.0Living in Chelsea, MA: what to set up and who to call
New voters sign up with the Chelsea City Clerk, which runs Chelsea’s elections. The closest public drop-off to Chelsea is Winthrop Leaf Dump, 2 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Chelsea, 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 Chelsea.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Chelsea. Its homes paid an average of 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 76% of Eversource’s home customers do, and Eversource still delivers it.
Start or move service: nstar.com · (800) 592-2000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Chelsea Water Dept. (Mwra)
Chelsea Water Dept. (Mwra) supplies almost all of Chelsea. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Mwra as seller) and serves 40,787 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.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 2.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 11.1 ppb. That’s higher than 75% 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. MA3057000.
7 home internet providers serve Chelsea
100% of 4,099 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 4% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 39% | 1,000/75 |
| Starry | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 18% | 300/100 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable | 4% | 1,500/50 |
| Netafy | Fixed wireless | 70% | 150/150 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 33% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Chelsea
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Chelsea, from the town’s own site.
Chelsea City Yard
380 Beacham Street, Chelsea, MA
- Mon8 am–2 pm
- Tue8 am–2 pm
- Wed8 am–2 pm
- Thu8 am–2 pm
- Fri8 am–2 pm
- Sat8 am–noon
Accepted at the curb
- Newspapers or inserts
- Corrugated cardboard
- Magazines, phone books, junk mail, paper bags
- Manila envelopes & folders, NCR & fax paper
- Paperboard such as cereal, shoe boxes, etc.
- White or colored office paper, envelopes with or without windows
- Rinsed glass bottles or jars
- Aluminum, tin or steel cans and lids
- All plastic containers with recycling logos labeled 1 through 7
- Emptied medicine bottles
From chelseama.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Chelsea is in Chelsea School District.
D−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.
Chelsea is in ZIP code 02150
ZIP codes where Chelsea residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Chelsea | ZIP’s residents in Chelsea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02150 | Chelsea, MA | 100% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 02151.
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 Chelsea
Who supplies Chelsea’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Chelsea Water Dept. (Mwra) (EPA ID MA3057000). 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 2.4 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Chelsea?
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Chelsea?
Xfinity, Verizon, Starry, Astound Broadband, Netafy, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Chelsea?
02150. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Chelsea in?
Chelsea School District.
How do I register to vote in Chelsea?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Chelsea City Clerk. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
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: Chelsea’s own website (chelseama.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.