Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Cheney, NE: what to set up and who to call
Cheney has no town government of its own, so Lancaster County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Norris School District 160. Power in Cheney comes from Lincoln Electric System, a municipal utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cheney, 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 Cheney.
Power comes from Lincoln Electric System
Lincoln Electric System (Lincoln Electric System), a municipal utility, serves all of Cheney. Its homes paid an average of 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $94 a month (its average across Nebraska).
Start or move service: les.com · (402) 475-4211
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Lincoln water system
The City of Lincoln water system supplies Cheney: about 68% of residents live in its service area. About 32% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water influenced by surface water and serves 296,000 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 4.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 86% of similar systems’ latest results.
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. NE3110926.
9 home internet providers serve Cheney
100% of 67 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allo Communications | Fiber | 100% | 2,300/2,300 |
| Spectrum | Cable | 96% | 1,000/35 |
| Kinetic | Fixed wireless, DSL | 90% | 100/10 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 97% | 50/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 91% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 84% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Cheney’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cheney.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Cheney (65%) is in Norris School District 160; parts are in Lincoln Public Schools (33%) and Palmyra District OR-1 (2%).
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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Cheney is unincorporated, so Lancaster County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Cheney is in ZIP code 68526
ZIP codes where Cheney residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cheney | ZIP’s residents in Cheney |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68526 | Lincoln, NE | 100% | 2% |
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 Cheney
Who supplies Cheney’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Lincoln water system (EPA ID NE3110926). 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 4.5 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cheney?
Lincoln Electric System (Lincoln Electric System), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cheney?
Allo Communications, Spectrum, Kinetic, Rise Broadband, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cheney?
68526. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cheney in?
Norris School District 160. Parts of the city are in Lincoln Public Schools and Palmyra District OR-1.
How do I register to vote in Cheney?
In Nebraska you can register online until 18 days before Election Day, in person until 11 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 18 days before). Elections here are run by the Lancaster Election Commissioner. Check your registration at votercheck.necvr.ne.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 Sep 30, 2026 (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.