Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Kingston, RI: what to set up and who to call
Kingston has no town government of its own, so Washington County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend South Kingstown School District. The University of Rhode Island water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 6.4 ppb, was higher than 94% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Kingston, 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 Kingston.
Power comes from Rhode Island Energy
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Kingston. Its homes paid an average of 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $166 a month (its average across Rhode Island, for customers on its standard service). Rhode Island lets you buy power from another supplier; 26% of Rhode Island Energy’s home customers do, and Rhode Island Energy still delivers it.
Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (401) 784-7000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from University of Rhode Island water system
The University of Rhode Island water system supplies Kingston: about 79% of residents live in its service area. Kingston Water District serves another 16%. Veolia Water Wakefield Rhode Island Inc serves another 5%. It draws ground water (EPA lists Kingston Water District as seller) and serves 19,354 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 Jul–Dec 2025, was 6.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 94% 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. RI1858422.
4 home internet providers serve Kingston
99% of 649 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 96% | 980/880 |
| Cox Communications | Cable | 94% | 2,000/100 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 64% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 30% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Kingston’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Kingston.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Kingston is in South Kingstown School District.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Kingston is unincorporated, so Washington County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Kingston spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Kingston residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Kingston | ZIP’s residents in Kingston |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02881 | Kingston, RI | 91% | 85% |
| 02879 | Wakefield, RI | 9% | 3% |
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 Kingston
Who supplies Kingston’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The University of Rhode Island water system (EPA ID RI1858422). 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 6.4 ppb (Jul–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Kingston?
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Kingston?
Verizon, Cox Communications, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Kingston?
02881 (91%), 02879 (9%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Kingston in?
South Kingstown School District.
How do I register to vote in Kingston?
In Rhode Island you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the South Kingstown Board of Canvassers. Check your registration at vote.sos.ri.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 Sep 30, 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.