Living in Sparta Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Sparta Township spans 2 ZIP codes; 56265 holds the most residents (98%). Chippewa County Hospital, 1.6 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Sparta 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 Sparta Township.
Power comes from Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (Northern States Power Co. (Minnesota)), an investor-owned utility, serves 55.7% of Sparta Township 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 Montevideo water system
The Montevideo water system supplies Sparta Township: about 3% of residents live in its service area. About 97% 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 5,337 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 57% 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. MN1120004.
10 home internet providers serve Sparta Township
100% of 413 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 62% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clara City Telephone Company | Fiber | 39% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable | 34% | 1,000/50 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 14% | 10/1 |
| Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber | 14% | 1,000/1,000 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 98% | 150/130 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 96% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Sparta Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Sparta Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Sparta Township (99%) is in Montevideo 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.
Sparta Township spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Sparta Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Sparta Township | ZIP’s residents in Sparta Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56265 | Montevideo, MN | 98% | 10% |
| 56241 | Granite Falls, MN | 2% | 0% |
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 Sparta Township
Who supplies Sparta Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Montevideo water system (EPA ID MN1120004). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Sparta Township?
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 Sparta Township?
Clara City Telephone Company, Spectrum, CenturyLink, Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone Company, GigFire, Midco (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Sparta Township?
56265 (98%), 56241 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Sparta Township in?
Montevideo Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Sparta 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 Chippewa 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.