Photo: Joe Ravi · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Roanoke, VA: what to set up and who to call
Roanoke has its own drop-off, Tinker Creek Transfer Station, on 1020 Hollins Road Northeast. Roanoke runs its own elections, so the Roanoke City General Registrar, not a county office, keeps the voter rolls.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Roanoke, 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 Roanoke.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Roanoke. 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 almost all of Roanoke. 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 Roanoke
97% of 35,354 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 79% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 94% | 2,000/100 |
| Glo Fiber | Fiber | 87% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 79% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 69% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 55% | 25/3 |
| All Points Broadband | Fixed wireless | 3% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Roanoke depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Roanoke, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayLook up your day on roanokeva.gov
- RecyclingEvery other week, day by addressCheck which week on roanokeva.gov →
- Bulky itemsEvery week
Tinker Creek Transfer Station
1020 Hollins Road, NE, Roanoke, VA
- Mon7:30 am–5 pm
- Tue7:30 am–5 pm
- Wed7:30 am–5 pm
- Thu7:30 am–5 pm
- Fri7:30 am–5 pm
- Sat8 am–1 pm
Cost: $109.20 per year for a single-family house (solid waste fee, not a drop-off permit)
Gerdau Metal Recycling
2580 Broadway Ave SW, Roanoke, VA 24014
From roanokeva.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.
Roanoke is in Roanoke City Public Schools.
C−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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Roanoke spans 8 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Roanoke residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Roanoke | ZIP’s residents in Roanoke |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24017 | Roanoke, VA | 24% | 100% |
| 24012 | Roanoke, VA | 23% | 75% |
| 24015 | Roanoke, VA | 15% | 97% |
| 24014 | Roanoke, VA | 12% | 73% |
| 24016 | Roanoke, VA | 9% | 100% |
| 24013 | Roanoke, VA | 8% | 100% |
| 24018 | Roanoke, VA | 4% | 11% |
| 24019 | Roanoke, VA | 3% | 12% |
A few homes fall in 24011, 24179. 24001, 24002, 24003, 24004, 24005, 24006, 24007, 24008, 24009, 24010, 24022, 24023, 24024, 24025, 24026, 24027, 24028, 24029, 24030, 24031, 24032, 24033, 24034, 24035, 24036, 24037, 24038, 24040, 24042, 24043, 24050 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 Roanoke
Who supplies Roanoke’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 Roanoke?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Roanoke?
Cox Communications, Glo Fiber, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, All Points Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Roanoke?
24017 (24%), 24012 (23%), 24015 (15%), 24014 (12%), 24016 (9%), 24013 (8%), 24018 (4%), 24019 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Roanoke in?
Roanoke City Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Roanoke?
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 Roanoke City 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: Roanoke’s own website (roanokeva.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 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.