Bellevue Rural Historic District (Additional Documentation) · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLiving in Forest, VA: what to set up and who to call
Forest has no town government of its own, so Bedford County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Bedford County Public Schools. Forest has its own drop-off, Forest Dump, on 16169 Forest Road.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Forest, 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 Forest.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Forest. Its homes paid an average of 17.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $186 a month (its average across Virginia).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Bedford Regional Water Authority (Brwa)
Bedford Regional Water Authority (Brwa) supplies almost all of Forest. It draws surface water (EPA lists Smith Mountain Lake WTP and City of Lynchburg as sellers) and serves 38,794 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 Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.2 ppb. That’s higher than 59% 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. VA5019052.
7 home internet providers serve Forest
100% of 3,930 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 92% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shentel | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 1,200/50 |
| lumos | Fiber, DSL | 79% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Xfinity | Fiber, Cable | 68% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Glo Fiber | Fiber | 4% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 50% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 48% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Forest has its own drop-off: Forest Dump
Where to take trash and recycling in Forest, and where the rules are.
Forest Dump
16169 Forest Road, Forest, VA, 24551
Before you go, check the rules with the town.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Sep 2024). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Forest is in Bedford County Public Schools.
CSchool gradeSee 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
Forest is unincorporated, so Bedford County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Forest spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Forest residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Forest | ZIP’s residents in Forest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24551 | Forest, VA | 95% | 44% |
| 24502 | Lynchburg, VA | 3% | 1% |
| 24503 | Lynchburg, VA | 2% | 1% |
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 Forest
Who supplies Forest’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Bedford Regional Water Authority (Brwa) (EPA ID VA5019052). 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 1.6 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Forest?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Forest?
Shentel, lumos, Xfinity, Glo Fiber, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Forest?
24551 (95%), 24502 (3%), 24503 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Forest in?
Bedford County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Forest?
In Virginia you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 11 days before). Elections here are run by the Bedford General Registrar. Check your registration at vote.elections.virginia.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.