Living in Banks Township, MI: what to set up and who to call
Voting is local here: the Banks Township Clerk registers voters and runs elections, not the county. Truestream is the only wired internet provider that reaches most of Banks Township.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Banks Township, 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 Banks Township.
Power comes from Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy (Consumers Energy Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Banks Township. Its homes paid an average of 20.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $134 a month (its average across Michigan).
Start or move service: consumersenergy.com · (800) 477-5050
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Village of Ellsworth water system
The Village of Ellsworth water system supplies Banks Township: about 20% of residents live in its service area. About 80% 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 349 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MI0002110.
7 home internet providers serve Banks Township
87% of 1,078 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 65% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truestream | Fiber | 69% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 38% | 10/1 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 32% | 1,000/1,000 |
| 186networks | Fixed wireless | 70% | 25/5 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 20% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 20% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Banks Township
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Banks Township, from the town’s own site.
24-Hour Recycling
9627 Lake St, Ellsworth, MI 49729
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From bankstownshipmi.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-10-06. 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.
Most of Banks Township (94%) is in Ellsworth Community Schools; parts are in Charlevoix Public Schools (4%).
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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Banks Township spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Banks Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Banks Township | ZIP’s residents in Banks Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49729 | Ellsworth, MI | 81% | 84% |
| 49720 | Charlevoix, MI | 14% | 2% |
| 49622 | Central Lake, MI | 5% | 3% |
A few homes fall in 49627.
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 Banks Township
Who supplies Banks Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Village of Ellsworth water system (EPA ID MI0002110). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% 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 Banks Township?
Consumers Energy (Consumers Energy Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Banks Township?
Truestream, Frontier, Spectrum, 186networks, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Banks Township?
49729 (81%), 49720 (14%), 49622 (5%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Banks Township in?
Ellsworth Community Schools. Parts of the city are in Charlevoix Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Banks Township?
In Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Banks Township Clerk. Check your registration at mvic.sos.state.mi.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: Banks Township’s own website (bankstownshipmi.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 Sep 12, 2025 (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.