Living in Albert Lea, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Albert Lea comes from Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. For emergencies, Albert Lea is closest to Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin, 0.5 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Albert Lea, 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 Albert Lea.
Power comes from Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative (Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility, serves all of Albert Lea. Its homes paid an average of 15.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $136 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: fmcs.coop · (507) 373-6421
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Albert Lea water system
The Albert Lea water system supplies almost all of Albert Lea. It draws ground water and serves 18,492 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.0 ppb. That’s higher than 65% 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. MN1240001.
9 home internet providers serve Albert Lea
100% of 7,355 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 98% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GigFire | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 71% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association | Fiber | 50% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 21% | 10/1 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
In Albert Lea, you hire your own trash hauler
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Albert Lea, from the town’s own site.
Albert Lea Transfer Station
2506 Richway Drive, Albert Lea, MN 56007
- Monnoon–6 pm
- Tue11 am–3 pm
- Wednoon–6 pm
- Thunoon–6 pm
- Fri11 am–3 pm
- Sat9 am–4 pm
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
Freeborn County Environmental Services
2020 Pioneer Trail, Albert Lea, MN 56007
From cityofalbertlea.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2025-06-10T20:02:10+00:00, 2026-10-02T14:55:36+00:00. 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.
Albert Lea is in Albert Lea Public School District.
C+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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Albert Lea is in ZIP code 56007
ZIP codes where Albert Lea residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Albert Lea | ZIP’s residents in Albert Lea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56007 | Albert Lea, MN | 100% | 86% |
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 Albert Lea
Who supplies Albert Lea’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Albert Lea water system (EPA ID MN1240001). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Albert Lea?
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative (Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Albert Lea?
GigFire, Spectrum, Metronet, Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association, CenturyLink, Midco (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Albert Lea?
56007. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Albert Lea in?
Albert Lea Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Albert Lea?
In Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Freeborn County Government Center. Check your registration at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.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: Albert Lea’s own website (cityofalbertlea.org), 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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.