Living in Hays, MT: what to set up and who to call
Hays has no town government of its own, so Blaine County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schools. Power in Hays comes from Big Flat Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Hays, 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 Hays.
Power comes from Big Flat Electric Coop
Big Flat Electric Coop (Big Flat Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Hays.
Start or move service: www.bigflatelectric.com · (406) 654-2040
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Hays/White Cow Canyon WS water system
The Hays/White Cow Canyon WS water system supplies Hays: about 82% of residents live in its service area. Old Hays serves another 12%. About 6% 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 840 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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. 083090044.
2 home internet providers serve Hays
99% of 260 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Communications | Fiber | 99% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 68% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Hays’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Hays.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Hays is in Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schools.
DSchool gradeSee 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
Hays is unincorporated, so Blaine County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Hays is in ZIP code 59527
ZIP codes where Hays residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Hays | ZIP’s residents in Hays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59527 | Hays, MT | 100% | 85% |
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 Hays
Who supplies Hays’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Hays/White Cow Canyon WS water system (EPA ID 083090044). 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 2.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Hays?
Big Flat Electric Coop (Big Flat Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Hays?
Triangle Communications, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Hays?
59527. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Hays in?
Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schools.
How do I register to vote in Hays?
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 Blaine 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.