Living in Lodge Pole, MT: what to set up and who to call
Lodge Pole 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. Tap water in Lodge Pole comes from Mnihnapa Water System, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 23% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Lodge Pole, 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 Lodge Pole.
Power comes from Big Flat Electric Coop
Big Flat Electric Coop (Big Flat Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Lodge Pole.
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 Mnihnapa Water System
Mnihnapa Water System supplies Lodge Pole: about 91% of residents live in its service area. About 9% 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 220 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–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.0 ppb. 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. 083090047.
3 home internet providers serve Lodge Pole
93% of 109 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 93% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Communications | Fiber | 97% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 48% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 4% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Lodge Pole’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Lodge Pole.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Lodge Pole is in Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schools.
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
Lodge Pole 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.
Lodge Pole is in ZIP code 59524
ZIP codes where Lodge Pole residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Lodge Pole | ZIP’s residents in Lodge Pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59524 | Dodson, MT | 100% | 39% |
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 Lodge Pole
Who supplies Lodge Pole’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Mnihnapa Water System (EPA ID 083090047). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Lodge Pole?
Big Flat Electric Coop (Big Flat Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Lodge Pole?
Triangle Communications, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Lodge Pole?
59524. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Lodge Pole in?
Hays-Lodge Pole K-12 Schools.
How do I register to vote in Lodge Pole?
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.