Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Ithaca, NY: what to set up and who to call
The Ithaca City water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: , beginning May 2025. Recycling and Solid Waste Center takes trash and recycling in Ithaca, open Mon–Sat 7 am–3:30 pm (OpenStreetMap).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca.
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 Ithaca. 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 Ithaca City water system
The Ithaca City water system supplies Ithaca: about 79% of residents live in its service area. Cornell University serves another 21%. It draws surface water and serves 29,457 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: , beginning May 2025. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 74% 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. NY5404416.
5 home internet providers serve Ithaca
98% of 5,094 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 46% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 96% | 1,000/35 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 80% | 980/880 |
| Empire Long Distance | Fiber | 24% | 1,000/100 |
| Fiberspark | Fiber | 18% | 2,000/2,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 57% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Curbside recycling in Ithaca: every other week, same day as trash
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Ithaca, from the town’s own site.
Recycling and Solid Waste Center
160 Commercial Avenue, Ithaca, NY, 14850
- 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
- Sat7 am–3:30 pm
Hours from OpenStreetMap. They can change with the season, so check with the town before you go.
From cityofithacany.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 1/1/2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. . Drop-off hours: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ithaca is in Ithaca City School District.
BSchool 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 Oct 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ithaca spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Ithaca residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ithaca | ZIP’s residents in Ithaca |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14850 | Ithaca, NY | 94% | 43% |
| 14853 | Ithaca, NY | 6% | 100% |
14851, 14852 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Ithaca
When is the Recycling and Solid Waste Center open?
Mon–Sat 7 am–3:30 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check cityofithaca.org before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Ithaca’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Ithaca City water system (EPA ID NY5404416). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: . 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.4 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ithaca?
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 Ithaca?
Spectrum, Verizon, Empire Long Distance, Fiberspark, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ithaca?
14850 (94%), 14853 (6%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ithaca in?
Ithaca City School District.
How do I register to vote in Ithaca?
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 Tompkins 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: Ithaca’s own website (cityofithacany.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from. Drop-off hours: 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.