Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainLiving in Nelson, NE: what to set up and who to call
Nelson runs its own electric utility, City of Nelson. Public schools here are run by Lawrence-Nelson Public Schools.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Nelson, 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 Nelson.
Power comes from City of Nelson
City of Nelson (City of Nelson - (NE)), a municipal utility, serves all of Nelson.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Nelson water system
The City of Nelson water system supplies almost all of Nelson. It draws ground water and serves 490 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.2 ppb. That’s higher than 59% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NE3112903.
7 home internet providers serve Nelson
99% of 340 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 96% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenwood Telecommunications | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 25/10 |
| Kinetic | Fiber, DSL | 99% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 83% | 300/20 |
| Viaero Wireless | Fixed wireless | 74% | 150/40 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 73% | 100/20 |
| Nextlink | Fixed wireless | 64% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Nelson’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Nelson.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Nelson is in Lawrence-Nelson Public 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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Nelson is in ZIP code 68961
ZIP codes where Nelson residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Nelson | ZIP’s residents in Nelson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68961 | Nelson, NE | 100% | 65% |
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 Nelson
Who supplies Nelson’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Nelson water system (EPA ID NE3112903). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.1 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Nelson?
City of Nelson (City of Nelson - (NE)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Nelson?
Glenwood Telecommunications, Kinetic, Verizon, Viaero Wireless, T-Mobile, Nextlink (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Nelson?
68961. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Nelson in?
Lawrence-Nelson Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Nelson?
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 Nuckolls County Clerk. 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.