Cedarvale · Photo: National Park Service · Public domainLiving in Fort Smith, MT: what to set up and who to call
Fort Smith has no town government of its own, so Big Horn County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Hardin Elementary School District. For an emergency, Big Horn Hospital is the closest ER, 32.6 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Fort Smith, 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 Fort Smith.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves 93.5% of Fort Smith residents. 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 Fort Smith Water and Sewer District
Fort Smith Water and Sewer District supplies almost all of Fort Smith. It draws ground water and serves 450 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 5.0 ppb. That’s higher than 70% 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. MT0004765.
2 home internet providers serve Fort Smith
3% of 237 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 3% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemont | DSL, Fiber | 100% | 30/5 |
| Wisp West, Celerity Internet | Fixed wireless | 72% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Fort Smith’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Fort Smith.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Fort Smith is in two districts that split the grades: Hardin Elementary School District and Hardin High 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
Fort Smith is unincorporated, so Big Horn County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Fort Smith is in ZIP code 59035
ZIP codes where Fort Smith residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Fort Smith | ZIP’s residents in Fort Smith |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59035 | Fort Smith, MT | 100% | 54% |
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 Fort Smith
Who supplies Fort Smith’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Fort Smith Water and Sewer District (EPA ID MT0004765). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Fort Smith?
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 Fort Smith?
Nemont, Wisp West, Celerity Internet (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Fort Smith?
59035. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Fort Smith in?
Hardin Elementary School District and Hardin High School District.
How do I register to vote in Fort Smith?
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 Big Horn 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.