Photo: ILoveCortlandNewYork · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Cortland, NY: what to set up and who to call
The Cortland (C) water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.0 ppb, was higher than 90% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Cortland has its own drop-off, Cortland Count Recycling Center, on 137 Pendleton Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cortland, 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 Cortland.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cortland. 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 Cortland (C) water system
The Cortland (C) water system supplies Cortland: 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 20,095 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 5.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 90% 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. NY1101754.
4 home internet providers serve Cortland
98% of 4,727 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 74% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/35 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 85% | 300/20 |
| Empire Long Distance | Fiber | 75% | 1,000/100 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 77% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Cortland
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Cortland, from the town’s own site.
Cortland County Recycling Center
137 1/2 Pendleton St., Cortland, NY
- Mon7 am–3:30 pm
- Tue7 am–3:30 pm
- Wed7 am–3:30 pm
- Thu7 am–3:30 pm
- Fri7 am–3:30 pm
- Sat8 am–noon
Accepted at the curb
- Metal lids, caps and tops
- Newspapers and inserts
- Catalogs
- Magazines
- Office paper
- Manila folders
- Books (hard covers must be removed)
From cortlandny.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 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.
Cortland is in Cortland City School District.
C−School 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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Cortland is in ZIP code 13045
ZIP codes where Cortland residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cortland | ZIP’s residents in Cortland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13045 | Cortland, NY | 100% | 62% |
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 Cortland
Who supplies Cortland’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Cortland (C) water system (EPA ID NY1101754). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cortland?
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 Cortland?
Spectrum, Verizon, Empire Long Distance, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cortland?
13045. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cortland in?
Cortland City School District.
How do I register to vote in Cortland?
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 Cortland 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: Cortland’s own website (cortlandny.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.