Brooks-Brown House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLiving in Penhook, VA: what to set up and who to call
Penhook has no town government of its own, so Franklin County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Franklin County Public Schools. The closest public drop-off to Penhook is Smith Mountain Convenience Center, 3 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Penhook, 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 Penhook.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Penhook. 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 Western Virginia Water Authority
Western Virginia Water Authority supplies Penhook: about 25% of residents live in its service area. Town of Rocky Mount serves another 20%. Cottage Edge serves another 13%. Vista Pointe Landing serves another 13%. About 63% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists City of Salem as seller) and serves 182,700 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.8 ppb. 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. VA2770900.
6 home internet providers serve Penhook
87% of 834 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shentel | Cable | 90% | 1,000/50 |
| Brightspeed | DSL | 14% | 10/1 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 47% | 100/20 |
| SMLW Broadband | Fixed wireless | 21% | 1,000/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 4% | 25/6 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 2% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 3 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Penhook.
Smith Mountain Convenience Center
155 Smith Mountain Road
This isn’t Penhook’s own facility. Whether Penhook residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Penhook is in Franklin County Public Schools.
A−School 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
Penhook is unincorporated, so Franklin County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Penhook is in ZIP code 24137
ZIP codes where Penhook residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Penhook | ZIP’s residents in Penhook |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24137 | Penhook, VA | 100% | 31% |
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 Penhook
Who supplies Penhook’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Western Virginia Water Authority (EPA ID VA2770900). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Penhook?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Penhook?
Shentel, Brightspeed, T-Mobile, SMLW Broadband, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Penhook?
24137. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Penhook in?
Franklin County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Penhook?
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 Franklin 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.