Living in East Dorset, VT: what to set up and who to call
East Dorset has no town government of its own, so Bennington County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Taconic and Green Regional School District. East Dorset Fire District 1 has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 12.6 ppb, was higher than 98% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in East Dorset, 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 East Dorset.
Power comes from Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power (Green Mountain Power Corp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of East Dorset. Its homes paid an average of 23.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $140 a month (its average across Vermont).
Start or move service: greenmountainpower.com · (888) 836-4672
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from East Dorset Fire District 1
East Dorset Fire District 1 supplies East Dorset: about 97% of residents live in its service area. About 3% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 192 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 12.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 98% 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. VT0005021.
5 home internet providers serve East Dorset
94% of 151 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 74% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 87% | 1,200/35 |
| Fidium Fiber | Fiber | 72% | 2,000/2,000 |
| VTel Wireless | Fixed wireless | 45% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 28% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 28% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have East Dorset’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in East Dorset.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
East Dorset is in two districts that split the grades: Taconic and Green Region School District and Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union.
Test scores and every school: see 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
East Dorset is unincorporated, so Bennington County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
East Dorset is in ZIP code 05253
ZIP codes where East Dorset residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of East Dorset | ZIP’s residents in East Dorset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05253 | East Dorset, VT | 100% | 47% |
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 East Dorset
Who supplies East Dorset’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
East Dorset Fire District 1 (EPA ID VT0005021). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 12.6 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in East Dorset?
Green Mountain Power (Green Mountain Power Corp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 23.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve East Dorset?
Xfinity, Fidium Fiber, VTel Wireless, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in East Dorset?
05253. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is East Dorset in?
Taconic and Green Region School District and Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union.
How do I register to vote in East Dorset?
In Vermont you can register online up to and including Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received by Election Day). Elections here are run by the Dorset Town Clerk. Check your registration at mvp.vermont.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 Aug 3, 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.