Photo: Joseph E. B. Elliot · Public domainLiving in Columbia, PA: what to set up and who to call
All of Columbia gets its mail under one ZIP code, 17512. Columbia Public Library, 0.1 miles away, is the closest library to Columbia.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbia, 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 Columbia.
Power comes from PPL Electric Utilities
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric Utilities Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Columbia. Its homes paid an average of 18.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $164 a month (its average across Pennsylvania, for customers on its standard service). Pennsylvania lets you buy power from another supplier; 36% of PPL Electric Utilities’ home customers do, and PPL Electric Utilities still delivers it.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Columbia Water Co
Columbia Water Co supplies almost all of Columbia. It draws surface water and serves 25,200 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 Jun–Sep 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.0 ppb. That’s lower than 59% 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. PA7360123.
6 home internet providers serve Columbia
100% of 3,644 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 93% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Brightspeed | Fiber, DSL | 95% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 73% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 63% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 52% | 100/20 |
| Double Dog Communications | Fixed wireless | 42% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Columbia
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbia, from the town’s own site.
Yard waste facility at Columbia Borough Farm, 254 Blue Lane
254 Blue Lane, Columbia, PA
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From columbiapa.net, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-00-02. 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.
Columbia is in Columbia Borough School District.
DSchool 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 Jan 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Columbia is in ZIP code 17512
ZIP codes where Columbia residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbia | ZIP’s residents in Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17512 | Columbia, PA | 100% | 56% |
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 Columbia
Who supplies Columbia’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Columbia Water Co (EPA ID PA7360123). 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 1.0 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbia?
PPL Electric Utilities (PPL Electric Utilities Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Columbia?
Xfinity, Brightspeed, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Double Dog Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Columbia?
17512. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbia in?
Columbia Borough School District.
How do I register to vote in Columbia?
In Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Lancaster County Board of Elections. Check your registration at pavoterservices.pa.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: Columbia’s own website (columbiapa.net), 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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.