Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Sterling, NY: what to set up and who to call
The Fair Haven Village water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 13.8 ppb, was higher than 99% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Village of Fair Haven Public Library, at 14426 South Richmond Avenue, is the library in town.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Sterling, 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 Sterling.
Power comes from Rochester Gas & Electric
Rochester Gas & Electric (Rochester Gas & Electric Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Sterling. Its homes paid an average of 22.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $154 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 14% of Rochester Gas & Electric’s home customers do, and Rochester Gas & Electric still delivers it.
Start or move service: rge.com · (585) 342-0802
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Fair Haven Village water system
The Fair Haven Village water system supplies Sterling: about 22% of residents live in its service area. About 78% 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 1,001 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 13.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 99% 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. NY0501717.
4 home internet providers serve Sterling
86% of 1,902 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 87% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 49% | 90/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 32% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 15% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Sterling’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Sterling.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Sterling (56%) is in Red Creek Central School District; parts are in Hannibal Central School District (41%) and Cato-Meridian Central School District (2%).
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.
Sterling spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Sterling residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Sterling | ZIP’s residents in Sterling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13156 | Sterling, NY | 67% | 97% |
| 13111 | Martville, NY | 25% | 50% |
| 13143 | Red Creek, NY | 6% | 7% |
| 13126 | Oswego, NY | 2% | 0% |
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 Sterling
Who supplies Sterling’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Fair Haven Village water system (EPA ID NY0501717). 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 13.8 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Sterling?
Rochester Gas & Electric (Rochester Gas & Electric Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 22.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Sterling?
Spectrum, Frontier, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Sterling?
13156 (67%), 13111 (25%), 13143 (6%), 13126 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Sterling in?
Red Creek Central School District. Parts of the city are in Hannibal Central School District and Cato-Meridian Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Sterling?
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 Cayuga 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.