Photo: Precisionviews · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Charlotte, NC: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Charlotte comes from Charlotte Water, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 18% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Charlotte has its own drop-off, Goodwill Drop-Off Center, on 813 Providence Road.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Charlotte, 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 Charlotte.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Charlotte. Its homes paid an average of 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $134 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 Charlotte Water
Charlotte Water supplies Charlotte: about 95% of residents live in its service area. It draws surface water and serves 1,163,701 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 82% of the 27 systems serving more than 1,000,000 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. NC0160010.
6 home internet providers serve Charlotte
98% of 247,120 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 75% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 92% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Google Fiber | Fiber | 20% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Windstream North Carolina | DSL, Fiber | 4% | 300/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 89% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 77% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Curbside recycling in Charlotte: every other week, same day as trash
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Charlotte, from the town’s own site.
Goodwill Drop-Off Center
813 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC, 28207
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Cardboard and small boxes that have been cut or torn into small pieces
- Plastic bottles and jugs with necks
- Paper and magazines
- Milk and juice cartons
- Glass bottles and jars (lids can be on)
- Empty metal cans
From charlottenc.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 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.
Charlotte is in Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Charlotte spans 25 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Charlotte residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Charlotte | ZIP’s residents in Charlotte |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28269 | Charlotte, NC | 9% | 94% |
| 28277 | Charlotte, NC | 8% | 99% |
| 28215 | Charlotte, NC | 6% | 85% |
| 28205 | Charlotte, NC | 6% | 100% |
| 28216 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 81% |
| 28210 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 96% |
| 28213 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 95% |
| 28273 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 100% |
| 28262 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 90% |
| 28212 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 100% |
| 28226 | Charlotte, NC | 5% | 99% |
| 28208 | Charlotte, NC | 4% | 100% |
| 28270 | Charlotte, NC | 4% | 100% |
| 28214 | Charlotte, NC | 4% | 79% |
| 28211 | Charlotte, NC | 4% | 100% |
| 28217 | Charlotte, NC | 3% | 99% |
| 28227 | Charlotte, NC | 3% | 46% |
| 28209 | Charlotte, NC | 3% | 100% |
| 28203 | Charlotte, NC | 2% | 100% |
| 28202 | Charlotte, NC | 2% | 100% |
| 28278 | Charlotte, NC | 2% | 49% |
| 28206 | Charlotte, NC | 2% | 100% |
| 28105 | Matthews, NC | 1% | 27% |
| 28204 | Charlotte, NC | 1% | 100% |
| 28207 | Charlotte, NC | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 28223, 28274, 28134, 28104, 28078, 28280. 28201, 28218, 28219, 28220, 28221, 28222, 28224, 28228, 28229, 28230, 28231, 28232, 28233, 28234, 28235, 28236, 28237, 28241, 28242, 28243, 28244, 28246, 28247, 28250, 28253, 28254, 28255, 28256, 28258, 28260, 28263, 28265, 28266, 28271, 28272, 28275, 28281, 28282, 28284, 28285, 28287, 28288, 28289, 28290, 28296, 28297, 28299 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Charlotte
Who supplies Charlotte’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Charlotte Water (EPA ID NC0160010). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 82% 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 Charlotte?
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Charlotte?
Spectrum, AT&T, Google Fiber, Windstream North Carolina, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Charlotte?
28269 (9%), 28277 (8%), 28215 (6%), 28205 (6%), 28216 (5%), 28210 (5%), 28213 (5%), 28273 (5%), 28262 (5%), 28212 (5%), 28226 (5%), 28208 (4%), 28270 (4%), 28214 (4%), 28211 (4%), 28217 (3%), 28227 (3%), 28209 (3%), 28203 (2%), 28202 (2%), 28278 (2%), 28206 (2%), 28105 (1%), 28204 (1%), 28207 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Charlotte in?
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
How do I register to vote in Charlotte?
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 Mecklenburg 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: Charlotte’s own website (charlottenc.gov), read Oct 23, 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.