Chicagon Mine Road-Chicagon Creek Bridge · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Bates Township, MI: what to set up and who to call
New voters sign up with the Bates Township Clerk, which runs Bates Township’s elections. West Iron County Public Schools runs the public schools in Bates Township.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bates 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 Bates Township.
Power comes from DTE
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves 97.8% of Bates Township residents. Its homes paid an average of 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $126 a month (its average across Michigan, for customers on its standard service). Michigan lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of DTE’s home customers do, and DTE still delivers it.
Start or move service: www.dteenergy.com · (800) 477-4747
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Bates Township water system
The Bates Township water system supplies Bates Township: about 17% of residents live in its service area. About 83% 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 921 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
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. MI0000440.
7 home internet providers serve Bates Township
74% of 857 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 45% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 45% | 1,000/35 |
| Highline Internet | Fiber | 45% | 1,000/1,000 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless | 2% | 25/3 |
| Fast AIr Internet | Fixed wireless | 30% | 30/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 11% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 9% | 25/6 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bates Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bates Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bates Township is in West Iron County Public Schools.
Test scores and every school: see 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.
Bates Township spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Bates Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bates Township | ZIP’s residents in Bates Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49935 | Iron River, MI | 98% | 15% |
| 49920 | Crystal Falls, MI | 2% | 0% |
A few homes fall in 49903.
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 Bates Township
Who supplies Bates Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Bates Township water system (EPA ID MI0000440). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none.
Who provides electricity in Bates Township?
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bates Township?
Spectrum, Highline Internet, AT&T, Fast AIr Internet, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bates Township?
49935 (98%), 49920 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bates Township in?
West Iron County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Bates 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 Bates 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: 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 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.