Living in West Branch, MI: what to set up and who to call
In West Branch, trash day is Wednesday (GFL Environmental collects). West Branch runs its own elections, so the West Branch City Clerk, not a county office, keeps the voter rolls.
I’m new in town
What to set up in West Branch, 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 West Branch.
Power comes from DTE
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of West Branch. 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 City of West Branch water system
The City of West Branch water system supplies almost all of West Branch. It draws ground water and serves 2,139 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 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. MI0007010.
4 home internet providers serve West Branch
82% of 882 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 11% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 87% | 1,000/50 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 64% | 25/3 |
| Point Broadband | Fiber | 10% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 83% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in West Branch is Wednesday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in West Branch, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
West Branch Recycling Center
- Tuenoon–4 pm
- Sat9 am–noon
Accepted at the curb
- Cardboard, paper bags (flattened & cut into pieces, no wax coated cardboard)
- Paperboard (cereal boxes, no wax coated paperboard)
- Magazines, catalogs
- Junk mail (envelopes, flyers, brochures, postcards, etc)
- Office paper
- Phone books
- Newspaper (remove bags, strings & rubber bands)
- Pots & pans
- Steel & tin cans (please rinse/clean cans before recycling)
- Clear glass only (please rinse/clean glass before recycling)
- Aluminum cans (please rinse/clean cans before recycling)
West Branch Recycling Center
121 N. 4th St, West Branch, MI
From westbranch.com, cms4files.revize.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 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.
West Branch is in West Branch-Rose City Area Schools.
B+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.
West Branch is in ZIP code 48661
ZIP codes where West Branch residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of West Branch | ZIP’s residents in West Branch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48661 | West Branch, MI | 100% | 22% |
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 West Branch
Who supplies West Branch’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of West Branch water system (EPA ID MI0007010). 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 West Branch?
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve West Branch?
Spectrum, AT&T, Point Broadband, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in West Branch?
48661. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is West Branch in?
West Branch-Rose City Area Schools.
How do I register to vote in West Branch?
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 West Branch 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: West Branch’s own website (westbranch.com, cms4files.revize.com), read Oct 22, 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.