Jerry Nichols Tavern · Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in North Reading, MA: what to set up and who to call
New voters sign up with the North Reading Town Clerk, which runs North Reading’s elections. The closest public drop-off to North Reading is Reading Compost Center, 3 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in North Reading, 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 North Reading.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of North Reading. 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 North Reading Water Dept.
North Reading Water Dept. supplies almost all of North Reading. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Andover Water Dept as seller) and serves 16,379 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 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.6 ppb. That’s higher than 60% 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. MA3213000.
4 home internet providers serve North Reading
100% of 4,878 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 88% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 91% | 980/880 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 62% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 14% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in North Reading depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in North Reading, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on northreadingma.gov
- Bulky itemsCall to book
When a holiday falls on a weekday, pickup slides one day later for the rest of that week.
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Cardboard & Boxboard
- Junk Mail, Periodicals, Office Paper & Paper Cups
- Plastic Bottles, Jugs, Tubs, & Lids
- Glass Bottles & Jars
- Aluminum & Steel Cans
From northreadingma.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27, 2026-2027. 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.
North Reading is in North Reading School District.
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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
North Reading is in ZIP code 01864
ZIP codes where North Reading residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of North Reading | ZIP’s residents in North Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01864 | North Reading, MA | 100% | 100% |
01825, 01889 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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 North Reading
Who supplies North Reading’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
North Reading Water Dept. (EPA ID MA3213000). 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 1.7 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in North Reading?
National Grid (Massachusetts Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 33.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve North Reading?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in North Reading?
01864. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is North Reading in?
North Reading School District.
How do I register to vote in North Reading?
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 North Reading 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: North Reading’s own website (northreadingma.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.