Bethabara Historic District · Photo: Barber Photo Supply Company, Photographer · Public domainLiving in Winston-Salem, NC: what to set up and who to call
Most mail in Winston-Salem goes to 27106 (18% of residents), one of 10 ZIP codes in town. The nearest emergency room is in town: North Carolina Baptist Hospital.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Winston-Salem, 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 Winston-Salem.
Power comes from Duke Energy
Duke Energy (Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Winston-Salem. 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 City of Winston-Salem water system
The City of Winston-Salem water system supplies almost all of Winston-Salem. It draws surface water (EPA lists Davidson Water Inc as seller) and serves 391,900 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 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. NC0234010.
8 home internet providers serve Winston-Salem
98% of 81,432 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 60% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 84% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Lumos | Fiber | 17% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Windstream North Carolina | DSL, Fiber | 6% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Zirrus | Fiber | 3% | 6,000/6,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 85% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Winston-Salem depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Winston-Salem, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on cityofws.org
- RecyclingEvery other weekCheck which week on cityofws.org →
- Bulky itemsOn set dates
Hanes Mill Road Landfill (Hanes Mill Road Solid Waste Facility)
325 W Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27105
- Mon7 am–4:30 pm
- Tue7 am–4:30 pm
- Wed7 am–4:30 pm
- Thu7 am–4:30 pm
- Fri7 am–4:30 pm
- Sat8 am–noon
Forum 52 Yard Waste Facility
180 Northstar Drive, Rural Hall, NC 27045
3RC EnviroStation
1401 S Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27107
From cityofws.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Winston-Salem is in Forsyth County Schools.
C+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 Mar 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Winston-Salem spans 10 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Winston-Salem residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Winston-Salem | ZIP’s residents in Winston-Salem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27106 | Winston-Salem, NC | 18% | 93% |
| 27105 | Winston-Salem, NC | 15% | 93% |
| 27107 | Winston-Salem, NC | 13% | 67% |
| 27127 | Winston-Salem, NC | 13% | 80% |
| 27103 | Winston-Salem, NC | 13% | 88% |
| 27104 | Winston-Salem, NC | 12% | 100% |
| 27101 | Winston-Salem, NC | 8% | 91% |
| 27284 | Kernersville, NC | 3% | 13% |
| 27040 | Pfafftown, NC | 2% | 44% |
| 27109 | Winston-Salem, NC | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 27110, 27045, 27023. 27102, 27108, 27111, 27113, 27114, 27115, 27116, 27117, 27120, 27130, 27150, 27152, 27155, 27157, 27198, 27199 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Winston-Salem
Who supplies Winston-Salem’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Winston-Salem water system (EPA ID NC0234010). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% 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 Winston-Salem?
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 Winston-Salem?
Spectrum, AT&T, Lumos, Windstream North Carolina, Zirrus, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Winston-Salem?
27106 (18%), 27105 (15%), 27107 (13%), 27127 (13%), 27103 (13%), 27104 (12%), 27101 (8%), 27284 (3%), 27040 (2%), 27109 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Winston-Salem in?
Forsyth County Schools.
How do I register to vote in Winston-Salem?
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 Forsyth 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: Winston-Salem’s own website (cityofws.org), 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.