Dawson Carnegie Library · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Dawson, MN: what to set up and who to call
Tuesday is trash day in Dawson. Dawson Public Library, at 676 Pine Street, is the library in town.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Dawson, 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 Dawson.
Power comes from Otter Tail Power
Otter Tail Power (Otter Tail Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Dawson. Its homes paid an average of 11.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: ottertail.com · (866) 410-8780
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Dawson water system
The Dawson water system supplies almost all of Dawson. It draws ground water and serves 1,466 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 latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, 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 69% 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. MN1370003.
8 home internet providers serve Dawson
100% of 696 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,000/50 |
| Frontier | DSL | 86% | 45/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 91% | 300/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 74% | 150/130 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 12% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Dawson is Tuesday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Dawson, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
From dawsonmn.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026; pages dated ©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.
Dawson is in Dawson-Boyd Public School District.
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 Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Dawson is in ZIP code 56232
ZIP codes where Dawson residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Dawson | ZIP’s residents in Dawson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56232 | Dawson, MN | 100% | 63% |
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 Dawson
Who supplies Dawson’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Dawson water system (EPA ID MN1370003). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Dawson?
Otter Tail Power (Otter Tail Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Dawson?
Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone Company, Mediacom Xtream, Frontier, Verizon, GigFire, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Dawson?
56232. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Dawson in?
Dawson-Boyd Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Dawson?
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 Lac qui Parle County Auditor. 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: Dawson’s own website (dawsonmn.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 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.