Shirley Shaker Village · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Lancaster, MA: what to set up and who to call
The latest lead test reported by Lancaster Water Department, which supplies Lancaster, came in at 16.9 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), above the 15 ppb action level. Elections in Lancaster are run by Lancaster itself; register with the Lancaster Town Clerk.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Lancaster, 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 Lancaster.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Lancaster. Its homes paid an average of 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 64% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: masselec.com · (972) 505-4700
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Lancaster Water Department
Lancaster Water Department supplies Lancaster: about 70% of residents live in its service area. Mci Shirley serves another 16%. About 11% 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 6,000 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 16.9 ppb, above the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 100% 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. MA2147000.
4 home internet providers serve Lancaster
94% of 2,522 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 13% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 79% | 2,300/2,300 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 50% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 32% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 3 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Lancaster.
Town of Bolton Transfer Stations
This isn’t Lancaster’s own facility. Whether Lancaster residents may use it is the town’s rule: check ci.lancaster.ma.us.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Lancaster is in Nashoba School District.
A−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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Lancaster is in ZIP code 01523
ZIP codes where Lancaster residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Lancaster | ZIP’s residents in Lancaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01523 | Lancaster, MA | 99% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 01561.
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 Lancaster
Who supplies Lancaster’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Lancaster Water Department (EPA ID MA2147000). 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 16.9 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Lancaster?
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Lancaster?
Xfinity, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Lancaster?
01523. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Lancaster in?
Nashoba School District.
How do I register to vote in Lancaster?
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 Lancaster Town 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: 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.