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Rothsay, MinnesotaPhoto: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Rothsay handbook

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

In Rothsay, trash day is Wednesday. Tap water in Rothsay comes from the Rothsay water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Rothsay, 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 Rothsay.

Electricity

Power comes from Otter Tail Power

Otter Tail Power (Otter Tail Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Rothsay. 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.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Rothsay water system

The Rothsay water system supplies almost all of Rothsay. It draws ground water and serves 503 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.

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

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, 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. MN1840006.

Internet

3 home internet providers serve Rothsay

60% of 232 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 2% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Rothsay TelephoneDSL, Fiber100%25/3
VerizonFixed wireless81%300/20
GigFireFixed wireless41%150/130

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

Trash & recycling

Trash day in Rothsay is Wednesday

Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Rothsay, from the town’s own site.

How trash works hereTown’s haulerThe town’s contract hauler picks up at the curb for every homerothsay.gov
Trash dayWednesdayEvery week
Pickup calendar

This month

  • TrashEvery week
  • Bulky itemsOn set dates
What goes in the recycling bin

Accepted at the curb

  • Newsprint
  • Plastic Bottles
  • Tin and Aluminum Cans
  • Glass Containers
Recycling drop-off

Recycling Drop Location

Rothsay, MN 56579

Recycling drop-off

Recycling Drop Location-Cardboard Only

544 Center St N, Rothsay, MN 56579

Furniture, appliances and bulky itemsOn set datesSpring Clean-Up (curbside) once a year in May
What can be recycledThe town’s recycling pagerothsay.gov →

From rothsay.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .

Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Rothsay kids go to
PK–6Rothsay ElementaryRothsay Public School District
7–12Rothsay SecondaryRothsay Public School District

Rothsay is in Rothsay 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.

Town HallBudget, officials, electionsRothsay’s government in one page
Who runs elections hereWilkin County CourthouseElections here are run by Wilkin County (county election office). Most of Rothsay (60%) votes here; the rest in Otter Tail County (40%). 300 S 5th St, PO Box 409, Breckenridge, MN 56520-0409 · (218) 643-7165 · [email protected]FVAP, Jun 2025
Register to voteOnlineIn 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).vote.govCheck your registration and polling placemnvotes.sos.state.mn.usThe state’s voter lookup

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Rothsay is in ZIP code 56579

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of RothsayZIP’s residents in Rothsay
56579Rothsay, MN100%43%
Area code218Wikidata

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 Rothsay

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

The Rothsay water system (EPA ID MN1840006). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Rothsay?

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 Rothsay?

Rothsay Telephone, Verizon, GigFire (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Rothsay?

56579. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Rothsay in?

Rothsay Public School District.

How do I register to vote in Rothsay?

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 Wilkin 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: Rothsay’s own website (rothsay.gov), 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.