Photo: Terageorge · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Reading, MA: what to set up and who to call
Reading runs its own electric utility, Town of Reading; its homes paid 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025. Reading Water Department (Mwra) has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 8.4 ppb, was higher than 96% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in 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 Reading.
Power comes from Town of Reading
Town of Reading (Town of Reading - (MA)), a municipal utility, serves all of Reading. Its homes paid an average of 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $165 a month (its average across Massachusetts).
Start or move service: rmld.com · (781) 944-1340
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Reading Water Department (Mwra)
Reading Water Department (Mwra) supplies almost all of Reading. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Mwra as seller) and serves 26,262 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 2021–Dec 2023, was 8.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 96% 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. MA3246000.
4 home internet providers serve Reading
100% of 7,457 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 96% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 98% | 980/880 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 76% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 37% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Reading depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Reading, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on readingma.gov →
- RecyclingEvery week, same day as trash
- Bulky itemsCall to book
Reading Compost Center
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Newspapers including inserts, magazines, catalogs, phone books, junk mail
- Flattened cardboard no larger than 4 by 4 feet
- Rinsed plastic containers
- Rinsed glass containers
- Clean metal cans
From readingma.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27. 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.
Reading is in Reading 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.
Reading is in ZIP code 01867
ZIP codes where Reading residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Reading | ZIP’s residents in Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01867 | Reading, MA | 100% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 01801.
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 Reading
Who supplies Reading’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Reading Water Department (Mwra) (EPA ID MA3246000). 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 8.4 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Reading?
Town of Reading (Town of Reading - (MA)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Reading?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Reading?
01867. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Reading in?
Reading School District.
How do I register to vote in 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 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: Reading’s own website (readingma.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.