Surry County Courthouse · Photo: G Keith Hall · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Dobson, NC: what to set up and who to call
Trash goes out on Fridays in Dobson, collected by Waste Management. The Town of Dobson water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Dobson, 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 Dobson.
Power comes from Surry-Yadkin Elec Member
Surry-Yadkin Elec Member (Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp), a cooperative utility, serves all of Dobson. Its homes paid an average of 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $186 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 Town of Dobson water system
The Town of Dobson water system supplies almost all of Dobson. It draws surface water (EPA lists City of Mount Airy as seller) and serves 2,615 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none.
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. NC0286030.
6 home internet providers serve Dobson
100% of 459 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piedmont Communications Services | Fiber, DSL | 99% | 2,500/2,500 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 1,000/50 |
| Brightspeed | DSL | 49% | 40/3 |
| Carolina West Wireless | Fixed wireless | 100% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 66% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 61% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Dobson is Friday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Dobson, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
- RecyclingEvery other week, Fri · which week: dobson-nc.com
Accepted at the curb
- Flattened cardboard (no larger than 2' x 2' squares)
- Magazines
- Office/Copy Paper
- Brown Paper Bags
- Newspaper
- Paperboard (cereal boxes, etc)
- Paper dairy & juice containers rinsed out
- Phone books
- Plastic bottles (#1, 2, 5)
- Glass bottles & jars rinsed out
- Clean aluminum cans, foil, & baking tins
- Plastic bottles rinsed out
- Tin or steel cans
From dobson-nc.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.
Dobson is in Surry 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.
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.
Dobson is in ZIP code 27017
ZIP codes where Dobson residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Dobson | ZIP’s residents in Dobson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27017 | Dobson, NC | 100% | 16% |
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 Dobson
Who supplies Dobson’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Dobson water system (EPA ID NC0286030). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 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 Dobson?
Surry-Yadkin Elec Member (Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Dobson?
Piedmont Communications Services, Spectrum, Brightspeed, Carolina West Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Dobson?
27017. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Dobson in?
Surry County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Dobson?
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 Surry 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: Dobson’s own website (dobson-nc.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.