Living in Birney, MT: what to set up and who to call
The Birney Village water system reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (HAA5), disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 78% of systems its size reported none. Birney has no town government of its own, so Rosebud County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Lame Deer High School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Birney, 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 Birney.
Power comes from Tongue River Electric Coop
Tongue River Electric Coop (Tongue River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Birney.
Start or move service: tongueriverelectric.com · (406) 784-2341
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Birney Village water system
The Birney Village water system supplies Birney: about 72% of residents live in its service area. About 28% 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 96 people in all.
2 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5), disinfection byproducts (TTHM), the latest beginning Apr 2022. 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 5.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 89% 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. 083090062.
1 home internet providers serve Birney
0% of 29 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range Telephone Cooperative | DSL | 83% | 50/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Birney’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Birney.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Birney is in two districts that split the grades: Lame Deer High School District and Lame Deer Elementary 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Birney is unincorporated, so Rosebud County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Birney is in ZIP code 59043
ZIP codes where Birney residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Birney | ZIP’s residents in Birney |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59043 | Lame Deer, MT | 100% | 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 Birney
Who supplies Birney’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Birney Village water system (EPA ID 083090062). It reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5), disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Birney?
Tongue River Electric Coop (Tongue River Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Birney?
Range Telephone Cooperative (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Birney?
59043. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Birney in?
Lame Deer High School District and Lame Deer Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Birney?
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 Rosebud 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: 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.