Cape Hatteras Light Station · Photo: Henryhartley · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Buxton, NC: what to set up and who to call
Buxton has no town government of its own, so Dare County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Dare County Schools. Tap water in Buxton comes from Dare Co-Cape Hatteras Water, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% 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 Buxton, 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 Buxton.
Power comes from Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Buxton. Its homes paid an average of 12.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across North Carolina).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Dare Co-Cape Hatteras Water
Dare Co-Cape Hatteras Water supplies almost all of Buxton. It draws ground water and serves 5,486 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 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. 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. NC0428025.
5 home internet providers serve Buxton
96% of 1,015 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Brightspeed | DSL | 26% | 80/10 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 76% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 65% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 47% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Buxton Recycling Center and Transfer Station is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Where to take trash and recycling in Buxton, and where the rules are.
Buxton Recycling Center and Transfer Station
47027 North Carolina Highway 12, Buxton, NC, 27920
- Mon8:30 am–3:45 pm
- Tue8:30 am–3:45 pm
- Wed8:30 am–3:45 pm
- Thu8:30 am–3:45 pm
- Fri8:30 am–3:45 pm
- Sat8:30 am–noon
Hours from OpenStreetMap, last updated Jun 2021. They can change with the season, so check darenc.com before you go.
Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Buxton is in Dare County Schools.
B+School 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
Buxton is unincorporated, so Dare 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.
Buxton is in ZIP code 27920
ZIP codes where Buxton residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Buxton | ZIP’s residents in Buxton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27920 | Buxton, NC | 100% | 100% |
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 Buxton
When is the Buxton Recycling Center and Transfer Station open?
Mon–Fri 8:30 am–3:45 pm; Sat 8:30 am–12 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check darenc.com before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Buxton’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Dare Co-Cape Hatteras Water (EPA ID NC0428025). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% 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 Buxton?
Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 12.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Buxton?
Spectrum, Brightspeed, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Buxton?
27920. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Buxton in?
Dare County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Buxton?
In North Carolina you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person with same-day registration during the early voting period, or by mail (postmarked 25 days before). Elections here are run by the Dare County Board of Elections. Check your registration at vt.ncsbe.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.