Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Big Timber, MT: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in Big Timber: Big Timber Elementary School District and Sweet Grass County High School District. Almost every address in Big Timber can get fiber (100%, by the FCC’s map).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Big Timber, 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 Big Timber.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Big Timber. Its homes paid an average of 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Montana, for customers on its standard service). Montana lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of NorthWestern Energy’s home customers do, and NorthWestern Energy still delivers it.
Start or move service: northwesternenergy.com · (888) 467-2669
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Big Timber water system
The City of Big Timber water system supplies almost all of Big Timber. It draws surface water and serves 1,650 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2024, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 82% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MT0000463.
5 home internet providers serve Big Timber
100% of 844 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Communications | Fiber | 100% | 100/20 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 96% | 1,000/500 |
| Wisp West, Celerity Internet | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 94% | 25/6 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 84% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Big Timber
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Big Timber, from the town’s own site.
Big Timber Transfer Station
19 Timber Lane, Big Timber, MT
- Mon1:30 am–4 pm
- Wed1:30 am–4 pm
- Sat8:30 am–noon
Accepted at the curb
- Newspaper (w/flyers), Magazines, Catalogs, Phone Books
- Aluminum cans
- Cardboard (OCC)
- Steel, copper, and brass
- Tin cans
From cityofbigtimber.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Big Timber is in two districts that split the grades: Big Timber Elementary School District and Sweet Grass County High School District.
B+School gradeSee 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 Jan 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Big Timber is in ZIP code 59011
ZIP codes where Big Timber residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Big Timber | ZIP’s residents in Big Timber |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59011 | Big Timber, MT | 100% | 52% |
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 Big Timber
Who supplies Big Timber’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Big Timber water system (EPA ID MT0000463). 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–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Big Timber?
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 14.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Big Timber?
Triangle Communications, Spectrum, Wisp West, Celerity Internet, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Big Timber?
59011. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Big Timber in?
Big Timber Elementary School District and Sweet Grass County High School District.
How do I register to vote in Big Timber?
Montana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Sweet Grass County Election Administrator. Check your registration at prodvoterportal.mt.gov.
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: Big Timber’s own website (cityofbigtimber.com), read Oct 22, 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.