Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Buffalo, NY: what to set up and who to call
Buffalo has its own drop-off, East Side Transfer Station. Trains stop in Buffalo, at Buffalo–Exchange Street Station.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Buffalo, 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 Buffalo.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Buffalo. Its homes paid an average of 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $130 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 6% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (315) 474-1511
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Buffalo Water Authority
Buffalo Water Authority supplies almost all of Buffalo. It draws surface water and serves 276,000 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–Jun 2026, was 3.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.7 ppb. That’s higher than 79% 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. NY1400422.
7 home internet providers serve Buffalo
98% of 76,213 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 55% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/35 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 88% | 1,000/75 |
| Greenlight Networks | Fiber | 17% | 8,000/8,000 |
| GoNetspeed | Fiber | 6% | 2,000/2,000 |
| FastBridge Fiber | Fiber | 5% | 10,000/10,000 |
| Impact Internet | Fixed wireless | 81% | 100/8 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Buffalo
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Buffalo, from the town’s own site.
East Side Transfer Station
793 South Ogden Street, Buffalo, NY
- Mon7 am–9 am, 1 pm–3 pm
- Tue7 am–9 am, 1 pm–3 pm
- Wed7 am–9 am, 1 pm–3 pm
- Thu7 am–9 am, 1 pm–3 pm
- Fri7 am–9 am, 1 pm–3 pm
- Sat8 am–noon
Accepted at the curb
- Plastic food containers (Number 1-7)
- Plastic lawn furniture
- Paper
- Glass food containers and jars
- Metal cans
From buffalony.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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.
Buffalo is in Buffalo 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 Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Buffalo spans 16 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Buffalo residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Buffalo | ZIP’s residents in Buffalo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14215 | Buffalo, NY | 13% | 87% |
| 14213 | Buffalo, NY | 9% | 100% |
| 14207 | Buffalo, NY | 9% | 96% |
| 14211 | Buffalo, NY | 8% | 88% |
| 14216 | Buffalo, NY | 8% | 100% |
| 14220 | Buffalo, NY | 8% | 93% |
| 14214 | Buffalo, NY | 7% | 100% |
| 14206 | Buffalo, NY | 6% | 74% |
| 14210 | Buffalo, NY | 5% | 89% |
| 14222 | Buffalo, NY | 5% | 100% |
| 14201 | Buffalo, NY | 4% | 100% |
| 14208 | Buffalo, NY | 4% | 100% |
| 14212 | Buffalo, NY | 4% | 75% |
| 14204 | Buffalo, NY | 3% | 100% |
| 14209 | Buffalo, NY | 3% | 100% |
| 14202 | Buffalo, NY | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 14203, 14225, 14223, 14218. 14205, 14231, 14233, 14240, 14241, 14263, 14264, 14265, 14267, 14269, 14270, 14272, 14273, 14276, 14280 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 Buffalo
Who supplies Buffalo’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Buffalo Water Authority (EPA ID NY1400422). 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 3.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Buffalo?
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Buffalo?
Spectrum, Verizon, Greenlight Networks, GoNetspeed, FastBridge Fiber, Impact Internet (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Buffalo?
14215 (13%), 14213 (9%), 14207 (9%), 14211 (8%), 14216 (8%), 14220 (8%), 14214 (7%), 14206 (6%), 14210 (5%), 14222 (5%), 14201 (4%), 14208 (4%), 14212 (4%), 14204 (3%), 14209 (3%), 14202 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Buffalo in?
Buffalo City School District.
How do I register to vote in Buffalo?
In New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Erie County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterlookup.elections.ny.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: Buffalo’s own website (buffalony.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 Aug 3, 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.