Vestal's Gap Road and Lanesville Historic District · Photo: Cecouchman · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Sterling, VA: what to set up and who to call
Sterling has no town government of its own, so Loudoun County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Loudoun County Public Schools. Sterling has its own drop-off, Sterling Recycling Center, on 46279 West Juniper Avenue.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Sterling, 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 Sterling.
Power comes from Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy (Virginia Electric & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Sterling. 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 Loudoun Water - Central System
Loudoun Water - Central System supplies almost all of Sterling. It draws surface water (EPA lists Fairfax Water as seller) and serves 334,808 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 69% 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. VA6107350.
4 home internet providers serve Sterling
100% of 6,140 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 93% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 99% | 2,300/2,300 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 18% | 25/3 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 12% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Sterling has its own drop-off: Sterling Recycling Center
Where to take trash and recycling in Sterling, and where the rules are.
Sterling Recycling Center
46279 West Juniper Avenue
Before you go, check the rules on loudoun.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026 (last edited Nov 2025). © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Sterling is in Loudoun County Public Schools.
ASchool 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
Sterling is unincorporated, so Loudoun County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Sterling spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Sterling residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Sterling | ZIP’s residents in Sterling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20164 | Sterling, VA | 93% | 69% |
| 20166 | Sterling, VA | 7% | 14% |
20163, 20167 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Sterling
Who supplies Sterling’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Loudoun Water - Central System (EPA ID VA6107350). 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 0.5 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Sterling?
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 Sterling?
Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Sterling?
20164 (93%), 20166 (7%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Sterling in?
Loudoun County Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Sterling?
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 Loudoun 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.