Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainLiving in Townsend, MA: what to set up and who to call
Power in Townsend comes from Massachusetts Bay Trans Authority, a political subdivision utility rather than a private company. Voting is local here: the Townsend Town Clerk registers voters and runs elections, not the county.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Townsend, 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 Townsend.
Power comes from Massachusetts Bay Trans Authority
Massachusetts Bay Trans Authority (Massachusetts Bay Trans Authority), a political subdivision utility, serves all of Townsend.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Townsend Water Department
Townsend Water Department supplies Townsend: about 80% of residents live in its service area. About 20% 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 6,832 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–Jun 2026, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.0 ppb. That’s higher than 61% 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. MA2299000.
4 home internet providers serve Townsend
99% of 3,262 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 13% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 48% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 15% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Townsend depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Townsend, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on townsendma.gov →
Townsend Recycling Center
27 Greenville Road, Townsend, MA 01469
- Mon7 am–2 pm
- Sat7 am–2 pm
From townsendma.gov, cms3.revize.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2027, 9/29/26, August 11, 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.
Townsend is in North Middlesex School District.
BSchool 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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Townsend spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Townsend residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Townsend | ZIP’s residents in Townsend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01469 | Townsend, MA | 77% | 100% |
| 01474 | West Townsend, MA | 23% | 100% |
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 Townsend
Who supplies Townsend’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Townsend Water Department (EPA ID MA2299000). 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 1.6 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Townsend?
Massachusetts Bay Trans Authority (Massachusetts Bay Trans Authority), a political subdivision utility.
What internet providers serve Townsend?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Townsend?
01469 (77%), 01474 (23%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Townsend in?
North Middlesex School District.
How do I register to vote in Townsend?
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 Townsend 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: Townsend’s own website (townsendma.gov, cms3.revize.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.