Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Portsmouth, RI: what to set up and who to call
Portsmouth Water & Fire District reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×3. 83% of systems its size reported none. Portsmouth has its own drop-off, Portsmouth Compactor and Recycling Center.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth.
Power comes from Rhode Island Energy
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth Water & Fire District
Portsmouth Water & Fire District supplies Portsmouth: about 92% of residents live in its service area. Newport-City of serves another 6%. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Newport-City of as seller) and serves 17,090 people in all.
3 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×3, the latest beginning Apr 2023. 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 4.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 90% 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. RI1592022.
4 home internet providers serve Portsmouth
96% of 7,714 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 87% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox Communications | Fiber, Cable | 90% | 1,000/35 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 57% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 48% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 43% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Portsmouth depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Portsmouth, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on portsmouthri.gov →
- RecyclingEvery week, same day as trash
Hedly Street Transfer Station
305 Hedly Street, Portsmouth, RI 02871
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Cost: $325 for a 12-month sticker, July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027
From portsmouthri.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-2027. 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.
Portsmouth is in Portsmouth School District.
ASchool 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 Sep 30, 2026.
Portsmouth spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Portsmouth residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portsmouth | ZIP’s residents in Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02871 | Portsmouth, RI | 99% | 100% |
| 02872 | Prudence Island, RI | 1% | 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 Portsmouth
Who supplies Portsmouth’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Portsmouth Water & Fire District (EPA ID RI1592022). It reported 3 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×3. 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.8 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portsmouth?
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 Portsmouth?
Cox Communications, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portsmouth?
02871 (99%), 02872 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portsmouth in?
Portsmouth School District.
How do I register to vote in Portsmouth?
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 Portsmouth 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: Portsmouth’s own website (portsmouthri.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 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.