Living in Lake Benton, MN: what to set up and who to call
All of Lake Benton gets its mail under one ZIP code, 56149. Public schools here are run by Lake Benton Public School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Lake Benton, 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 Lake Benton.
Power comes from Otter Tail Power
Otter Tail Power (Otter Tail Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves 99.3% of Lake Benton residents. 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 Lake Benton water system
The Lake Benton water system supplies almost all of Lake Benton. It buys treated ground water (EPA lists Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water System as seller) and serves 676 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 81% 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. MN1410003.
5 home internet providers serve Lake Benton
100% of 380 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITC | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 96% | 1,000/50 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 77% | 100/20 |
| MVTV Wireless | Fixed wireless | 15% | 50/10 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 12% | 150/130 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Lake Benton’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Lake Benton.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Lake Benton is in Lake Benton 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.
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.
Lake Benton is in ZIP code 56149
ZIP codes where Lake Benton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Lake Benton | ZIP’s residents in Lake Benton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56149 | Lake Benton, MN | 100% | 54% |
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 Lake Benton
Who supplies Lake Benton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Lake Benton water system (EPA ID MN1410003). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Lake Benton?
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 Lake Benton?
ITC, Mediacom Xtream, T-Mobile, MVTV Wireless, GigFire (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Lake Benton?
56149. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Lake Benton in?
Lake Benton Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Lake Benton?
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 Lincoln County Courthouse. 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.