Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Great Falls, MT: what to set up and who to call
The City of Great Falls water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 12.0 ppb, was higher than 99% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Two school districts split the grades in Great Falls: Great Falls Elementary School District and Great Falls High School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Great Falls, 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 Great Falls.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Great Falls. 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 Great Falls water system
The City of Great Falls water system supplies almost all of Great Falls. It draws surface water and serves 60,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 12.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 99% 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. MT0000525.
10 home internet providers serve Great Falls
97% of 21,368 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 37% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Konceptio Data Services | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 45/18 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/35 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 26% | 40/3 |
| TDS Telecom | Fiber | 25% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Ziply Fiber | Fiber | 13% | 6,000/6,000 |
| 3 Rivers Communications | Fiber, DSL | 2% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Great Falls depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Great Falls, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on greatfallsmt.gov →
- RecyclingTwice a month
- Bulky itemsCall to book
Accepted at the curb
- Cans (aluminum/tin)
- Corrugated cardboard
- Newsprint
- Magazines
- Junk mail
Pacific Steel and Recycling
1624 12th Ave. N
Breen Oil Company
2201 NW Bypass
From greatfallsmt.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated February 13, 2025, June 1, 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.
Great Falls is in two districts that split the grades: Great Falls Elementary School District and Great Falls High School District.
BSchool 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 Feb 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Great Falls spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Great Falls residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Great Falls | ZIP’s residents in Great Falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59405 | Great Falls, MT | 44% | 78% |
| 59404 | Great Falls, MT | 35% | 75% |
| 59401 | Great Falls, MT | 22% | 100% |
59403, 59406 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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 Great Falls
Who supplies Great Falls’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Great Falls water system (EPA ID MT0000525). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 12.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Great Falls?
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 Great Falls?
Konceptio Data Services, Spectrum, CenturyLink, TDS Telecom, Ziply Fiber, 3 Rivers Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Great Falls?
59405 (44%), 59404 (35%), 59401 (22%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Great Falls in?
Great Falls Elementary School District and Great Falls High School District.
How do I register to vote in Great Falls?
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 Cascade 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: Great Falls’ own website (greatfallsmt.gov), read Oct 21, 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.