Photo: Lectrician2 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Forest Lake, MN: what to set up and who to call
Forest Lake has its own drop-off, Washington County North Environmental Center, on 6065 Headwaters Parkway. Fairview Lakes Health Services, 5.1 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Forest Lake, 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 Forest Lake.
Power comes from Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility, serves 74.7% of Forest Lake residents. 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 Forest Lake water system
The Forest Lake water system supplies Forest Lake: about 79% of residents live in its service area. About 20% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 11,800 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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. MN1820005.
7 home internet providers serve Forest Lake
99% of 6,678 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 18% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midco | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 2,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 63% | 140/20 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 13% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 6% | 10/1 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 28% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 24% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Forest Lake depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Forest Lake, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on ci.forest-lake.mn.us
- RecyclingEvery other week, day by addressCheck which week on ci.forest-lake.mn.us →
Washington County North Environmental Center
6065 Headwaters Parkway, Forest Lake, MN, 55025
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From ci.forest-lake.mn.us, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27. 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.
Forest Lake is in Forest Lake Public School District.
BSchool 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.
Forest Lake is in ZIP code 55025
ZIP codes where Forest Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Forest Lake | ZIP’s residents in Forest Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55025 | Forest Lake, MN | 99% | 79% |
A few homes fall in 55073, 55038.
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 Forest Lake
Who supplies Forest Lake’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Forest Lake water system (EPA ID MN1820005). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Forest Lake?
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 Forest Lake?
Midco, CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber, Frontier, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Forest Lake?
55025. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Forest Lake in?
Forest Lake Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Forest Lake?
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: Forest Lake’s own website (ci.forest-lake.mn.us), 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.