Albertus Ledbetter House · Photo: rossograph · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Old Fort, NC: what to set up and who to call
The Town of Old Fort 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. Public schools here are run by McDowell County Schools.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Old Fort, 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 Old Fort.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Old Fort. 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 Town of Old Fort water system
The Town of Old Fort water system supplies almost all of Old Fort. It draws ground water and serves 1,700 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. NC0156025.
6 home internet providers serve Old Fort
96% of 487 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 2% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 34% | 90/5 |
| Skyrunner | Fixed wireless | 91% | 25/10 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 85% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 43% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 5% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Old Fort’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Old Fort.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Old Fort is in McDowell County Schools.
Test scores and every school: see 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 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Old Fort is in ZIP code 28762
ZIP codes where Old Fort residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Old Fort | ZIP’s residents in Old Fort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28762 | Old Fort, NC | 100% | 12% |
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 Old Fort
Who supplies Old Fort’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Old Fort water system (EPA ID NC0156025). 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 Old Fort?
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 Old Fort?
Spectrum, Frontier, Skyrunner, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Old Fort?
28762. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Old Fort in?
McDowell County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Old Fort?
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 McDowell 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.