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The Boulder handbook

Living in Boulder, MT: what to set up and who to call

The City of Boulder water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Jul 2022. Two school districts split the grades in Boulder: Boulder Elementary School District and Jefferson High School District.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Boulder, 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 Boulder.

Electricity

Power comes from NorthWestern Energy

NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Boulder. 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.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from City of Boulder water system

The City of Boulder water system supplies almost all of Boulder. It draws ground water and serves 1,400 people in all.

1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Jul 2022. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none.

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

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MT0000158.

Internet

4 home internet providers serve Boulder

95% of 521 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 5% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
SpectrumCable93%1,000/1,000
The Montana InternetFixed wireless, Fiber92%500/50
CenturyLinkDSL88%60/5
T-MobileFixed wireless76%100/20

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

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Boulder’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Boulder.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Boulder or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Boulder kids go to
PK–6Boulder Elementary SchoolBoulder Elementary School District
7–8Boulder 7-8Boulder Elementary School District
9–12Jefferson High SchoolJefferson High School District

Boulder is in two districts that split the grades: Boulder Elementary School District and Jefferson High School District.

A−School gradeSee 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.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Boulder is in ZIP code 59632

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of BoulderZIP’s residents in Boulder
59632Boulder, MT100%60%
Area code406Wikidata

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 Boulder

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

The City of Boulder water system (EPA ID MT0000158). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Boulder?

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 Boulder?

Spectrum, The Montana Internet, CenturyLink, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Boulder?

59632. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Boulder in?

Boulder Elementary School District and Jefferson High School District.

How do I register to vote in Boulder?

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 Jefferson 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.