Medical Arts Building · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Grand Rapids, MI: what to set up and who to call
The Grand Rapids water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 7.0 ppb, was higher than 95% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). For recycling, Grand Rapids has Kent County Recycling and Education Center at 977 Wealthy Street Southwest; OpenStreetMap lists it open Mon–Fri 7:30 am–4:30 pm.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Grand Rapids, 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 Grand Rapids.
Power comes from DTE
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Grand Rapids. 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 Grand Rapids water system
The Grand Rapids water system supplies almost all of Grand Rapids. It draws surface water and serves 306,901 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 7.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 14.1 ppb. That’s higher than 95% 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. MI0002790.
6 home internet providers serve Grand Rapids
100% of 56,755 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 72% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/2,000 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 95% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 41% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 75% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 56% | 100/20 |
| Michwave Technologies | Fixed wireless | 11% | 50/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Grand Rapids depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Grand Rapids, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on grandrapidsmi.gov →
- RecyclingEvery other weekCheck which week on grandrapidsmi.gov →
Yard Waste Drop-Off Site
2001 Butterworth SW, Grand Rapids, MI
- Mon7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Tue7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Wed7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Thu7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Fri7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Sat7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Mon7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Tue7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Wed7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Thu7:30 am–4:30 pm
- Fri7:30 am–4:30 pm
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Aerosol Cans (empty)
- Aluminum
- Aluminum Foil
- Beverage glass containers
- Milk jugs
- Yogurt cups
From grandrapidsmi.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Most of Grand Rapids (94%) is in Grand Rapids Public Schools; parts are in Kentwood Public Schools (3%).
CSchool 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.
Grand Rapids spans 8 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Grand Rapids residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Grand Rapids | ZIP’s residents in Grand Rapids |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49504 | Grand Rapids, MI | 20% | 98% |
| 49503 | Grand Rapids, MI | 20% | 100% |
| 49507 | Grand Rapids, MI | 19% | 100% |
| 49505 | Grand Rapids, MI | 15% | 96% |
| 49506 | Grand Rapids, MI | 10% | 63% |
| 49508 | Grand Rapids, MI | 7% | 32% |
| 49546 | Grand Rapids, MI | 6% | 32% |
| 49525 | Grand Rapids, MI | 2% | 14% |
A few homes fall in 49534, 49509, 49548. 49501, 49502, 49510, 49514, 49515, 49516, 49518, 49523, 49528, 49530, 49555, 49560, 49588, 49599 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs 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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Grand Rapids
When is the Kent County Recycling and Education Center open?
Mon–Fri 7:30 am–4:30 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check reimaginetrash.org before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Grand Rapids’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Grand Rapids water system (EPA ID MI0002790). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 7.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Grand Rapids?
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Grand Rapids?
Xfinity, AT&T, Metronet, Verizon, T-Mobile, Michwave Technologies (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Grand Rapids?
49504 (20%), 49503 (20%), 49507 (19%), 49505 (15%), 49506 (10%), 49508 (7%), 49546 (6%), 49525 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Grand Rapids in?
Grand Rapids Public Schools. Parts of the city are in Kentwood Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Grand Rapids?
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 Grand Rapids City 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: Grand Rapids’ own website (grandrapidsmi.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.