Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Providence, RI: what to set up and who to call
Providence has its own drop-off, West House Compost Bins. Voting is local here: the Providence Board of Canvassers registers voters and runs elections, not the county.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Providence, 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 Providence.
Power comes from Rhode Island Energy
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Providence. 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 Providence-City of water system
The Providence-City of water system supplies almost all of Providence. It draws surface water and serves 333,142 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jul–Dec 2026, was 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 10.5 ppb. That’s higher than 58% 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. RI1592024.
4 home internet providers serve Providence
98% of 34,464 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 97% | 980/880 |
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 2,000/100 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 46% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 32% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Providence depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Providence, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on providenceri.gov →
- RecyclingEvery week, same day as trash
- Bulky itemsCall to book
When a holiday falls on a weekday, pickup slides one day later for the rest of that week.
Department of Public Works Saturday drop-off (mattresses, e-waste)
700 Allens Avenue, Providence, RI
- Sat7 am–12:45 pm
Accepted at the curb
- Paper, cardboard and cartons
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal cans, lids and foil
- Plastic containers
From providenceri.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2025, 2026-09-28, 2026-09-29. 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.
Providence is in Providence 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 Oct 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Providence spans 9 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Providence residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Providence | ZIP’s residents in Providence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02909 | Providence, RI | 24% | 99% |
| 02908 | Providence, RI | 20% | 99% |
| 02907 | Providence, RI | 16% | 100% |
| 02906 | Providence, RI | 13% | 100% |
| 02905 | Providence, RI | 8% | 61% |
| 02903 | Providence, RI | 7% | 100% |
| 02904 | Providence, RI | 7% | 41% |
| 02912 | Providence, RI | 2% | 100% |
| 02918 | Providence, RI | 2% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 02911, 02910, 02919, 02860. 02901, 02902, 02940 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
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 Providence
Who supplies Providence’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Providence-City of water system (EPA ID RI1592024). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.7 ppb (Jul–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Providence?
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 Providence?
Verizon, Cox Communications, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Providence?
02909 (24%), 02908 (20%), 02907 (16%), 02906 (13%), 02905 (8%), 02903 (7%), 02904 (7%), 02912 (2%), 02918 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Providence in?
Providence School District.
How do I register to vote in Providence?
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 Providence 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: Providence’s own website (providenceri.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.