Captain Robert S. Craig Cottage · Photo: Linda Roy Walls · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Ocean City, MD: what to set up and who to call
The Town of Ocean City water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. Xfinity is the only wired internet provider that reaches most of Ocean City.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ocean City, 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 Ocean City.
Power comes from Delmarva Power
Delmarva Power (Delmarva Power), an investor-owned utility, serves 98.4% of Ocean City residents. 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 Town of Ocean City water system
The Town of Ocean City water system supplies almost all of Ocean City. It draws ground water and serves 30,000 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 2.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 78% 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. MD0230003.
6 home internet providers serve Ocean City
100% of 7,698 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Eastern Shore Communications | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 20% | 100/25 |
| Bloosurf | Fixed wireless | 99% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 76% | 1,000/75 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 59% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 36% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Ocean City’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ocean City.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ocean City is in Worcester 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Ocean City is in ZIP code 21842
ZIP codes where Ocean City residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ocean City | ZIP’s residents in Ocean City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21842 | Ocean City, MD | 100% | 62% |
21843 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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 Ocean City
Who supplies Ocean City’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Ocean City water system (EPA ID MD0230003). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.8 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ocean City?
Delmarva Power (Delmarva Power), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ocean City?
Xfinity, Eastern Shore Communications, Bloosurf, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ocean City?
21842. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ocean City in?
Worcester County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Ocean City?
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 Worcester 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.