Photo: BrianHagan · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Thompson Falls, MT: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Thompson Falls comes from the City of Thompson Falls water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Two school districts split the grades in Thompson Falls: Thompson Falls Elementary School District and Thompson Falls High School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Thompson 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 Thompson Falls.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Thompson 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 Thompson Falls water system
The City of Thompson Falls water system supplies almost all of Thompson Falls. It draws ground water and serves 1,950 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MT0000341.
3 home internet providers serve Thompson Falls
100% of 657 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative | Fiber, DSL | 100% | 1,000/500 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 92% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 87% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Thompson Falls
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Thompson Falls, from the town’s own site.
Thompson Falls Transfer Site
5376 MT Hwy. 200, Thompson Falls, MT
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From cityofthompsonfalls.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026; pages dated 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.
Thompson Falls is in two districts that split the grades: Thompson Falls Elementary School District and Thompson 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 Jan 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Thompson Falls is in ZIP code 59873
ZIP codes where Thompson Falls residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Thompson Falls | ZIP’s residents in Thompson Falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59873 | Thompson Falls, 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 Thompson Falls
Who supplies Thompson Falls’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Thompson Falls water system (EPA ID MT0000341). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Thompson 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 Thompson Falls?
Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Thompson Falls?
59873. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Thompson Falls in?
Thompson Falls Elementary School District and Thompson Falls High School District.
How do I register to vote in Thompson 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 Sanders 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: Thompson Falls’ own website (cityofthompsonfalls.com), read Oct 22, 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.