Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Garvin

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
The Garvin handbook

Living in Garvin, MN: what to set up and who to call

Tap water in Garvin comes from the Garvin water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 23% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. For emergencies, Garvin is closest to Sanford Tracy Medical Center, 7.7 miles away.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Garvin, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Garvin.

Electricity

Power comes from Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Garvin. 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.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Garvin water system

The Garvin water system supplies almost all of Garvin. It buys treated ground water (EPA lists Red Rock Rural Water System as seller) and serves 135 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.

Lead, 90th percentile0.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.

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. MN1420011.

Internet

5 home internet providers serve Garvin

100% of 89 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Woodstock Telephone CompanyFiber, Fixed wireless100%1,000/1,000
GigFireFixed wireless100%150/130
MidcoFixed wireless100%100/20
VerizonFixed wireless31%25/6
AT&TFixed wireless12%25/3

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Garvin’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Garvin.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Garvin or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Garvin kids go to
PK–6Tracy Elementaryin Tracy
7–12Tracy Secondaryin Tracy

Garvin is in Tracy Area Public School District.

Test scores and every school: see Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

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.

ZIP codes & area codes

Garvin is in ZIP code 56132

ZIP codes where Garvin residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of GarvinZIP’s residents in Garvin
56132Garvin, MN100%27%
Area code507Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Garvin

Who supplies Garvin’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

The Garvin water system (EPA ID MN1420011). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Garvin?

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 Garvin?

Woodstock Telephone Company, GigFire, Midco, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Garvin?

56132. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Garvin in?

Tracy Area Public School District.

How do I register to vote in Garvin?

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 Lyon 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: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
  • 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.