Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Living in Bells, TN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Bells comes from Gibson Electric Members, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. The closest ER is Haywood County Community Hospital, 11.6 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bells, 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 Bells.
Power comes from Gibson Electric Members
Gibson Electric Members (Gibson Electric Members Corp), a cooperative utility, serves all of Bells. Its homes paid an average of 13.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $181 a month (its average across Tennessee).
Start or move service: gibsonemc.com · (901) 855-4740
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Bells Public Utility District
Bells Public Utility District supplies almost all of Bells. It draws ground water and serves 2,610 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 4.1 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. TN0000045.
3 home internet providers serve Bells
100% of 976 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson Connect | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/50 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fixed wireless | 41% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bells’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bells.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Bells (50%) is in Bells City School District; parts are in Crockett County School District in Bells (50%).
A−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 Nov 18, 2024.
Bells is in ZIP code 38006
ZIP codes where Bells residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bells | ZIP’s residents in Bells |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38006 | Bells, TN | 100% | 48% |
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 Bells
Who supplies Bells’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
Bells Public Utility District (EPA ID TN0000045). 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 4.1 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bells?
Gibson Electric Members (Gibson Electric Members Corp), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 13.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bells?
Gibson Connect, Spectrum, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bells?
38006. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bells in?
Bells City School District. Parts of the city are in Crockett County School District in Bells.
How do I register to vote in Bells?
In Tennessee 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 Crockett County Election Commission. Check your registration at tnmap.tn.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 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.