Photo: Kosboot · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Southold, NY: what to set up and who to call
Power in Southold comes from PSEG Long Island, a state utility rather than a private company. The closest public drop-off to Southold is Shelter Island Recycling Center, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Southold, 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 Southold.
Power comes from PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island (Long Island Power Authority), a state utility, serves all of Southold. Its homes paid an average of 26.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $195 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of PSEG Long Island’s home customers do, and PSEG Long Island still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Suffolk County Water Authority
Suffolk County Water Authority supplies Southold: about 69% of residents live in its service area. Greenport Water District serves another 15%. About 20% 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 1,100,000 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 82% of the 27 systems serving more than 1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2025–Dec 2027, was 1.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.3 ppb. That’s lower than 60% 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. NY5110526.
5 home internet providers serve Southold
92% of 14,984 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 79% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable, Fiber | 90% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Fishers Island Telephone | DSL | 3% | 25/25 |
| Evernet II Fiber Internet | Fiber | 3% | 500/500 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 38% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 26% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Southold
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Southold, from the town’s own site.
Southold Town Transfer Station (Cutchogue Transfer Station)
6155 Cox Lane, Cutchogue, NY 11935
- Mon7 am–5 pm
- Tue7 am–5 pm
- Wed7 am–5 pm
- Thu7 am–5 pm
- Fri7 am–5 pm
- Sat7 am–5 pm
- Sun7 am–5 pm
Cost: Resident permit $40, valid two calendar years (issued even-numbered years); single entry fee $5 per trip without permit
Accepted at the curb
- Cans
- Glass bottles
- News and mixed paper
- Corrugated cardboard
Yard Waste Compost Facility
6155 Cox Lane, Cutchogue, NY 11935
From southoldtownny.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-09-27. 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.
Most of Southold (40%) is in Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District; parts are in Southold Union Free School District (25%) and Oysterponds Union Free School District (16%) and Greenport Union Free School District (9%) and Fishers Island Union Free School District (8%) and New Suffolk Common School District (2%).
B+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 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Southold spans 10 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Southold residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Southold | ZIP’s residents in Southold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11971 | Southold, NY | 26% | 100% |
| 11944 | Greenport, NY | 20% | 100% |
| 11952 | Mattituck, NY | 20% | 100% |
| 11935 | Cutchogue, NY | 14% | 100% |
| 11948 | Laurel, NY | 5% | 92% |
| 11939 | East Marion, NY | 4% | 100% |
| 11957 | Orient, NY | 4% | 100% |
| 11958 | Peconic, NY | 3% | 100% |
| 06390 | Fishers Island, NY | 2% | 100% |
| 11956 | New Suffolk, NY | 2% | 100% |
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 Southold
Who supplies Southold’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Suffolk County Water Authority (EPA ID NY5110526). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 82% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.2 ppb (Jan 2025–Dec 2027), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Southold?
PSEG Long Island (Long Island Power Authority), a state utility. Its homes paid about 26.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Southold?
Optimum, Fishers Island Telephone, Evernet II Fiber Internet, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Southold?
11971 (26%), 11944 (20%), 11952 (20%), 11935 (14%), 11948 (5%), 11939 (4%), 11957 (4%), 11958 (3%), 06390 (2%), 11956 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Southold in?
Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District. Parts of the city are in Southold Union Free School District and Oysterponds Union Free School District and Greenport Union Free School District and Fishers Island Union Free School District and New Suffolk Common School District.
How do I register to vote in Southold?
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 Suffolk 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: Southold’s own website (southoldtownny.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.