Photo: Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer · Public domainLiving in Chatham, NY: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Chatham is in ZIP code 12037. For emergencies, Chatham is closest to Columbia Memorial Hospital, 12.1 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Chatham, 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 Chatham.
Power comes from New York State Elec & Gas
New York State Elec & Gas (New York State Elec & Gas Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Chatham. Its homes paid an average of 22.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $168 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 6% of New York State Elec & Gas’ home customers do, and New York State Elec & Gas still delivers it.
Start or move service: nyseg.com · (800) 572-1131
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Chatham Village water system
The Chatham Village water system supplies Chatham: about 96% of residents live in its service area. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 2,156 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.0 ppb. That’s higher than 78% 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. NY1000234.
5 home internet providers serve Chatham
97% of 697 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 79% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/50 |
| Fidium Fiber | Fiber | 76% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Consolidated Communications | DSL | 9% | 10/1 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 82% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 21% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Chatham’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Chatham.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Chatham is in Chatham Central School District.
CSchool 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 Sep 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Chatham is in ZIP code 12037
ZIP codes where Chatham residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Chatham | ZIP’s residents in Chatham |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12037 | Chatham, NY | 100% | 39% |
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 Chatham
Who supplies Chatham’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Chatham Village water system (EPA ID NY1000234). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.5 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Chatham?
New York State Elec & Gas (New York State Elec & Gas Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 22.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Chatham?
Spectrum, Fidium Fiber, Consolidated Communications, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Chatham?
12037. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Chatham in?
Chatham Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Chatham?
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 Columbia 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: 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 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.