Living in North Fork Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in North Fork Township comes from Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. The ER is a drive from North Fork Township: the closest is Centracare Health System - Sauk Centre, 15 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in North Fork Township, 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 North Fork Township.
Power comes from Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn
Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn (Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn), a cooperative utility, serves all of North Fork Township. Its homes paid an average of 14.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $177 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: stearnselectric.org · (800) 962-0655
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Brooten water system
The Brooten water system supplies North Fork Township: about 0% of residents live in its service area. About 100% 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 646 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–Jun 2026, was 4.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 6.0 ppb. That’s higher than 88% 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. MN1730005.
8 home internet providers serve North Fork Township
100% of 102 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 98% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runestone Telephone Association | Fiber | 98% | 1,000/1,000 |
| TDS Telecom | DSL | 43% | 50/10 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 98% | 100/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 83% | 150/130 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 42% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 39% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have North Fork Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in North Fork Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
North Fork Township is in Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
North Fork Township spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where North Fork Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of North Fork Township | ZIP’s residents in North Fork Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56316 | Brooten, MN | 77% | 15% |
| 56312 | Belgrade, MN | 23% | 3% |
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 North Fork Township
Who supplies North Fork Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Brooten water system (EPA ID MN1730005). 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 4.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in North Fork Township?
Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn (Stearns Cooperative Elec Assn), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve North Fork Township?
Runestone Telephone Association, TDS Telecom, Midco, GigFire, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in North Fork Township?
56316 (77%), 56312 (23%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is North Fork Township in?
Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Public School District.
How do I register to vote in North Fork Township?
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 Stearns County Service 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.