Photo: U.S. Navy photo · Public domainLiving in Portsmouth, VA: what to set up and who to call
Portsmouth runs its own elections, so the Portsmouth General Registrar, not a county office, keeps the voter rolls. The closest public drop-off to Portsmouth is Waste Management, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth.
Power comes from Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Portsmouth. 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 City of Portsmouth water system
The City of Portsmouth water system supplies almost all of Portsmouth. It draws surface water and serves 97,915 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2019–Dec 2021, 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. VA3740600.
5 home internet providers serve Portsmouth
96% of 32,657 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 96% | 2,000/100 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 88% | 980/880 |
| lumos | Fiber | 16% | 5,000/5,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 61% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 30% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Portsmouth.
Waste Management
3016 Yadkin Road, Chesapeake, VA, 23323
This isn’t Portsmouth’s own facility. Whether Portsmouth residents may use it is the town’s rule: check portsmouthva.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Portsmouth is in Portsmouth City Public Schools.
DSchool 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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Portsmouth spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Portsmouth residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portsmouth | ZIP’s residents in Portsmouth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23703 | Portsmouth, VA | 27% | 100% |
| 23701 | Portsmouth, VA | 25% | 100% |
| 23704 | Portsmouth, VA | 20% | 100% |
| 23707 | Portsmouth, VA | 15% | 100% |
| 23702 | Portsmouth, VA | 12% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 23709, 23708, 23321. 23705 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 Portsmouth
Who supplies Portsmouth’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Portsmouth water system (EPA ID VA3740600). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2019–Dec 2021), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portsmouth?
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 Portsmouth?
Cox Communications, Verizon, lumos, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portsmouth?
23703 (27%), 23701 (25%), 23704 (20%), 23707 (15%), 23702 (12%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portsmouth in?
Portsmouth City Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Portsmouth?
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 Portsmouth 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.