Photo: DiscoA340 · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Surf City, NC: what to set up and who to call
The Town of Surf City 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. Power in Surf City comes from Jones-Onslow Elec Member, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Surf City, 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 Surf City.
Power comes from Jones-Onslow Elec Member
Jones-Onslow Elec Member (Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp), a cooperative utility, serves 64.3% of Surf City residents. Its homes paid an average of 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $151 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 Surf City water system
The Town of Surf City water system supplies Surf City: about 35% of residents live in its service area. About 65% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Onslow Wtr and Sewer Authority and Town of Topsail Beach as sellers) and serves 9,730 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–Dec 2026, 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. NC0471015.
5 home internet providers serve Surf City
98% of 4,619 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 29% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Brightspeed | Fiber, DSL | 38% | 2,000/2,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, Fiber, DSL | 14% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 93% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 69% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Surf City is Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Surf City, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (Mon, Tue or Wed)Look up your day on surfcitync.gov
- Bulky itemsOn set dates
From surfcitync.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 20-July-2026, 2026-09-27. 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.
Most of Surf City (93%) is in Pender County Schools; parts are in Onslow County Schools (7%).
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 May 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Surf City spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Surf City residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Surf City | ZIP’s residents in Surf City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28445 | Holly Ridge, NC | 60% | 23% |
| 28443 | Hampstead, NC | 40% | 6% |
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 Surf City
Who supplies Surf City’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Town of Surf City water system (EPA ID NC0471015). 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–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Surf City?
Jones-Onslow Elec Member (Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Surf City?
Spectrum, Brightspeed, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Surf City?
28445 (60%), 28443 (40%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Surf City in?
Pender County Schools. Parts of the city are in Onslow County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Surf City?
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 Pender 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: Surf City’s own website (surfcitync.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.