Living in Chester, MD: what to set up and who to call
Chester has no town government of its own, so Queen Anne's County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Queen Annes County Public Schools. Tap water in most of Chester comes from the Stevensville water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Chester, 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 Chester.
Power comes from Delmarva Power
Delmarva Power (Delmarva Power), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Chester. Its homes paid an average of 21.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $214 a month (its average across Maryland, for customers on its standard service). Maryland lets you buy power from another supplier; 3% of Delmarva Power’s home customers do, and Delmarva Power still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Stevensville water system
The Stevensville water system supplies Chester: about 78% of residents live in its service area. About 22% 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 9,155 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. MD0170019.
7 home internet providers serve Chester
100% of 2,028 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talkie Communications | Fiber | 97% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Breezeline | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Xfinity | Fiber | 14% | 2,000/2,000 |
| BridgeMAXX Suncoast Broadband | Fixed wireless | 49% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 43% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 40% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Chester’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Chester.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Chester is in Queen Annes County Public Schools.
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Chester is unincorporated, so Queen Anne's County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Chester is in ZIP code 21619
ZIP codes where Chester residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Chester | ZIP’s residents in Chester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21619 | Chester, MD | 100% | 76% |
A few homes fall in 21666.
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 Chester
Who supplies Chester’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Stevensville water system (EPA ID MD0170019). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Chester?
Delmarva Power (Delmarva Power), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Chester?
Talkie Communications, Breezeline, Xfinity, BridgeMAXX Suncoast Broadband, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Chester?
21619. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Chester in?
Queen Annes County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Chester?
In Maryland you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Queen Anne's County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterservices.elections.maryland.gov.
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 Mar 11, 2026 (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.