Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Cottage Grove, MN: what to set up and who to call
The closest public drop-off to Cottage Grove is South Washington County Environmental Center, 5 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it. Xfinity is the only wired internet provider that reaches most of Cottage Grove.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cottage Grove, 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 Cottage Grove.
Power comes from Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cottage Grove. Its homes paid an average of 17.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $105 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Cottage Grove water system
The Cottage Grove water system supplies almost all of Cottage Grove. It draws ground water (EPA lists Saint Paul Park as seller) and serves 42,760 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–Jun 2026, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 79% 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. MN1820004.
9 home internet providers serve Cottage Grove
100% of 13,129 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 32% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 2,000/250 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 34% | 140/20 |
| Southeast MN Wifi | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 32% | 300/50 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 30% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Gateway Fiber | Fiber | 7% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 82% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Curbside recycling in Cottage Grove: every week
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Cottage Grove, from the town’s own site.
Accepted at the curb
- All tin and steel cans
- Cereal, chip, cake, cracker boxes
- Corrugated cardboard
- Egg cartons
- Glass beverage bottles (green, clear, or brown)
- Glass food jars (green, clear, or brown)
- Junk mail
- Magazines
- Newspaper
- Office paper
- Paper grocery bags
- Phone books
- Pop, beer, tissue boxes
Food scraps self-service drop-off site
8635 West Point Douglas Rd
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check cottagegrovemn.gov →
From cottagegrovemn.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 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 Cottage Grove (91%) is in South Washington County School District; parts are in Hastings Public School District (9%).
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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Cottage Grove spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Cottage Grove residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cottage Grove | ZIP’s residents in Cottage Grove |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55016 | Cottage Grove, MN | 99% | 100% |
| 55033 | Hastings, MN | 1% | 1% |
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 Cottage Grove
Who supplies Cottage Grove’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Cottage Grove water system (EPA ID MN1820004). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cottage Grove?
Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cottage Grove?
Xfinity, CenturyLink, Southeast MN Wifi, Quantum Fiber, Gateway Fiber, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cottage Grove?
55016 (99%), 55033 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cottage Grove in?
South Washington County School District. Parts of the city are in Hastings Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Cottage Grove?
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 Washington 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: Cottage Grove’s own website (cottagegrovemn.gov), read Oct 23, 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.