Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Gainesville, VA: what to set up and who to call
Gainesville has no town government of its own, so Prince William County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Prince William County Public Schools. For emergencies, Gainesville is closest to UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center, 2 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gainesville, 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 Gainesville.
Power comes from Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Gainesville. Its homes paid an average of 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $158 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 Pwcsa - West water system
The Pwcsa - West water system supplies almost all of Gainesville. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Fairfax Water and City of Manassas as sellers) and serves 136,409 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, 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. VA6153251.
4 home internet providers serve Gainesville
100% of 5,172 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 98% | 1,200/35 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 94% | 980/880 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 55% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 36% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Gainesville’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Gainesville.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Gainesville is in Prince William County Public Schools.
BSchool 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
Gainesville is unincorporated, so Prince William County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Gainesville spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Gainesville residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gainesville | ZIP’s residents in Gainesville |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20155 | Gainesville, VA | 85% | 41% |
| 20169 | Haymarket, VA | 15% | 10% |
20156 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Gainesville
Who supplies Gainesville’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Pwcsa - West water system (EPA ID VA6153251). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gainesville?
Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gainesville?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gainesville?
20155 (85%), 20169 (15%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gainesville in?
Prince William County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Gainesville?
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 Prince William 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.