Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Living in Austin, TX: what to set up and who to call
Austin runs its own electric utility, Austin Energy; its homes paid 13.1¢ per kWh in 2025. City of Austin Water & Wastewater reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a surface water treatment requirement (Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Feb 2022.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Austin, 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 Austin.
Power comes from Austin Energy
Austin Energy (Austin Energy), a municipal utility, serves all of Austin. Its homes paid an average of 13.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $110 a month (its average across Texas).
Start or move service: austinenergy.com · (512) 494-9400
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Austin Water & Wastewater
City of Austin Water & Wastewater supplies almost all of Austin. It draws surface water (EPA lists City of Austin Water Hauler as seller) and serves 1,115,323 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Feb 2022. 82% of the 27 systems serving more than 1,000,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. TX2270001.
7 home internet providers serve Austin
98% of 235,919 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 73% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/50 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 88% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Google Fiber | Fiber | 68% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 19% | 1,500/1,500 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 84% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 64% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Austin depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Austin, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on austintexas.gov
- RecyclingEvery other weekCheck which week on austintexas.gov →
Austin Recycle and Reuse Center
2514 Business Center Dr., Austin, TX 78744
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
From austintexas.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. 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.
Most of Austin (54%) is in Austin Independent School District; parts are in Del Valle Independent School District (12%) and Round Rock Independent School District (10%) and Leander Independent School District (8%) and Manor Independent School District (7%) and Pflugerville Independent School District (3%) and Eanes Independent School District (3%) and Hays Consolidated Independent School District (2%).
B−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 Mar 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Austin spans 31 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Austin residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Austin | ZIP’s residents in Austin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78745 | Austin, TX | 6% | 98% |
| 78753 | Austin, TX | 6% | 96% |
| 78748 | Austin, TX | 5% | 93% |
| 78758 | Austin, TX | 5% | 100% |
| 78741 | Austin, TX | 5% | 100% |
| 78704 | Austin, TX | 5% | 100% |
| 78744 | Austin, TX | 5% | 95% |
| 78759 | Austin, TX | 4% | 100% |
| 78705 | Austin, TX | 4% | 100% |
| 78749 | Austin, TX | 4% | 100% |
| 78723 | Austin, TX | 4% | 100% |
| 78727 | Austin, TX | 3% | 100% |
| 78750 | Austin, TX | 3% | 100% |
| 78717 | Austin, TX | 3% | 76% |
| 78731 | Austin, TX | 3% | 100% |
| 78702 | Austin, TX | 3% | 100% |
| 78757 | Austin, TX | 2% | 100% |
| 78703 | Austin, TX | 2% | 100% |
| 78754 | Austin, TX | 2% | 79% |
| 78752 | Austin, TX | 2% | 100% |
| 78739 | Austin, TX | 2% | 87% |
| 78724 | Austin, TX | 2% | 60% |
| 78746 | Austin, TX | 2% | 61% |
| 78747 | Austin, TX | 2% | 80% |
| 78751 | Austin, TX | 2% | 100% |
| 78729 | Austin, TX | 2% | 53% |
| 78735 | Austin, TX | 2% | 80% |
| 78726 | Austin, TX | 2% | 95% |
| 78617 | Del Valle, TX | 1% | 50% |
| 78701 | Austin, TX | 1% | 100% |
| 78721 | Austin, TX | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 78730, 78756, 78660, 78736, 78722, 78613, 78732, 78725, 78742, 78653, 78728, 78733, 78652, 78712, 78734, 78610, 78737, 78641, 78719. 73301, 73344, 78708, 78709, 78710, 78711, 78713, 78714, 78715, 78716, 78718, 78720, 78755, 78760, 78761, 78762, 78763, 78764, 78765, 78766, 78767, 78768, 78769, 78772, 78773, 78774, 78778, 78779, 78783, 78799 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 Austin
Who supplies Austin’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
City of Austin Water & Wastewater (EPA ID TX2270001). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule). 82% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Austin?
Austin Energy (Austin Energy), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 13.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Austin?
Spectrum, AT&T, Google Fiber, Astound Broadband, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Austin?
78745 (6%), 78753 (6%), 78748 (5%), 78758 (5%), 78741 (5%), 78704 (5%), 78744 (5%), 78759 (4%), 78705 (4%), 78749 (4%), 78723 (4%), 78727 (3%), 78750 (3%), 78717 (3%), 78731 (3%), 78702 (3%), 78757 (2%), 78703 (2%), 78754 (2%), 78752 (2%), 78739 (2%), 78724 (2%), 78746 (2%), 78747 (2%), 78751 (2%), 78729 (2%), 78735 (2%), 78726 (2%), 78617 (1%), 78701 (1%), 78721 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Austin in?
Austin Independent School District. Parts of the city are in Del Valle Independent School District and Round Rock Independent School District and Leander Independent School District and Manor Independent School District and Pflugerville Independent School District and Eanes Independent School District and Hays Consolidated Independent School District.
How do I register to vote in Austin?
Texas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Travis County Early Voting Clerk. Check your registration at teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.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: Austin’s own website (austintexas.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 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.