Holbrook Farm · Photo: G Keith Hall · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Hays, NC: what to set up and who to call
Hays has no town government of its own, so Wilkes County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Wilkes County Schools. Blue Ridge Water Association 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 Hays, 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 Hays.
Power comes from Surry-Yadkin Elec Member
Surry-Yadkin Elec Member (Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp), a cooperative utility, serves all of Hays. 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 Blue Ridge Water Association
Blue Ridge Water Association supplies almost all of Hays. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Town of North Wilkesboro and Mulberry-Fairplains Wtr Assoc as sellers) and serves 8,486 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. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 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. NC0197030.
5 home internet providers serve Hays
97% of 798 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 89% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 92% | 1,000/50 |
| Brightspeed | Fiber, DSL | 78% | 2,000/2,000 |
| RiverStreet | Fiber | 32% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Carolina West Wireless | Fixed wireless | 100% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 3% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Hays’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Hays.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Hays is in Wilkes 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
Hays is unincorporated, so Wilkes County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated May 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Hays spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Hays residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Hays | ZIP’s residents in Hays |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28635 | Hays, NC | 86% | 40% |
| 28659 | North Wilkesboro, NC | 14% | 1% |
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 Hays
Who supplies Hays’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
Blue Ridge Water Association (EPA ID NC0197030). 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). 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 Hays?
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 Hays?
Spectrum, Brightspeed, RiverStreet, Carolina West Wireless, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Hays?
28635 (86%), 28659 (14%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Hays in?
Wilkes County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Hays?
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 Wilkes 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.