Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Paterson, NJ: what to set up and who to call
The closest public drop-off to Paterson is Hawthorne Recycling Center, 2 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it. Paterson has its own train station.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Paterson, 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 Paterson.
Power comes from PSE&G
PSE&G (Public Service Electric & Gas Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Paterson. Its homes paid an average of 25.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $140 a month (its average across New Jersey, for customers on its standard service). New Jersey lets you buy power from another supplier; 4% of PSE&G’s home customers do, and PSE&G still delivers it.
Start or move service: pseg.com · (800) 436-7734
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Passaic Valley Water Commission
Passaic Valley Water Commission supplies almost all of Paterson. It draws surface water (EPA lists Pvwc-North Arlington and Jersey City Mua and Manchester Utilities Authority as sellers) and serves 310,483 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–Jun 2026, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 7.8 ppb. That’s higher than 56% 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. NJ1605002.
4 home internet providers serve Paterson
97% of 21,367 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 96% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 87% | 2,300/2,300 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 36% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 31% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 2 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Paterson.
Hawthorne Recycling Center
This isn’t Paterson’s own facility. Whether Paterson residents may use it is the town’s rule: check patersonnj.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Paterson is in Paterson City School District.
DSchool 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 Aug 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Paterson spans 9 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Paterson residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Paterson | ZIP’s residents in Paterson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07501 | Paterson, NJ | 24% | 100% |
| 07522 | Paterson, NJ | 15% | 100% |
| 07503 | Paterson, NJ | 12% | 100% |
| 07514 | Paterson, NJ | 12% | 100% |
| 07502 | Paterson, NJ | 10% | 100% |
| 07524 | Paterson, NJ | 9% | 100% |
| 07504 | Paterson, NJ | 8% | 100% |
| 07513 | Paterson, NJ | 8% | 100% |
| 07505 | Paterson, NJ | 2% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 07508. 07509, 07510, 07533, 07543, 07544 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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Paterson
Who supplies Paterson’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Passaic Valley Water Commission (EPA ID NJ1605002). 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 1.6 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Paterson?
PSE&G (Public Service Electric & Gas Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 25.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Paterson?
Optimum, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Paterson?
07501 (24%), 07522 (15%), 07503 (12%), 07514 (12%), 07502 (10%), 07524 (9%), 07504 (8%), 07513 (8%), 07505 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Paterson in?
Paterson City School District.
How do I register to vote in Paterson?
In New Jersey you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Passaic County Clerk. Check your registration at voter.svrs.nj.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.