Photo: Annebethmi · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Carolina Beach, NC: what to set up and who to call
Carolina Beach Water System has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.8 ppb, was higher than 94% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). New Hanover County Schools runs the public schools in Carolina Beach.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Carolina Beach, 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 Carolina Beach.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Progress, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Carolina Beach. Its homes paid an average of 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $159 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 Carolina Beach Water System
Carolina Beach Water System supplies Carolina Beach: about 87% of residents live in its service area. About 13% 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 6,864 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 2026–Dec 2028, was 5.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 94% 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. NC0465015.
4 home internet providers serve Carolina Beach
98% of 4,050 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 48% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fiber, Fixed wireless, DSL | 87% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 89% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 78% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Carolina Beach depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Carolina Beach, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on carolinabeach.gov
- RecyclingEvery week, same day as trash
NHC Recycle Center at the Moose Lodge
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Metal containers for soup, vegetables, pet food etc.
- Aluminum drink cans
- Corrugated cardboard
- Cereal/food paperboard boxes
- Soft drink/beer paperboard boxes
- Glass bottles and jars (remove lids and rinse)
- Office paper/junk mail/envelopes
- Magazines/brochures/catalogues
- Paper bags/craft paper/wrapping paper
- Phone books/soft cover books
- Newspapers and inserts
- Milk jugs
- Detergent bottles, etc.
From carolinabeach.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Carolina Beach is in New Hanover County Schools.
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 Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Carolina Beach is in ZIP code 28428
ZIP codes where Carolina Beach residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Carolina Beach | ZIP’s residents in Carolina Beach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28428 | Carolina Beach, NC | 100% | 96% |
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 Carolina Beach
Who supplies Carolina Beach’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Carolina Beach Water System (EPA ID NC0465015). 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 5.8 ppb (Jan 2026–Dec 2028), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Carolina Beach?
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Progress, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Carolina Beach?
Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Carolina Beach?
28428. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Carolina Beach in?
New Hanover County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Carolina Beach?
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 New Hanover 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: Carolina Beach’s own website (carolinabeach.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.