Living in Custer, WA: what to set up and who to call
Custer has no town government of its own, so Whatcom County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Ferndale School District. The nearest emergency room is Island Hospital, 28.3 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Custer, 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 Custer.
Power comes from Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy (Puget Sound Energy Inc), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Custer. Its homes paid an average of 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $147 a month (its average across Washington).
Start or move service: pse.com · (888) 225-5773
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Custer Water Association
Custer Water Association supplies Custer: about 72% of residents live in its service area. Double L Mobile Home Park serves another 14%. Percie Road Water Association serves another 10%. About 5% 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 365 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 3.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 85% 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. WA5317050.
6 home internet providers serve Custer
80% of 239 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 23% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 77% | 1,200/35 |
| Ziply Fiber | Fiber | 24% | 6,000/6,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 74% | 100/20 |
| Pogozone powered by Neubeam | Fixed wireless | 55% | 75/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 45% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 20% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Custer’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Custer.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Custer is in Ferndale School District.
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
Custer is unincorporated, so Whatcom County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Oct 2016; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Custer spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Custer residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Custer | ZIP’s residents in Custer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98240 | Custer, WA | 71% | 12% |
| 98248 | Ferndale, WA | 29% | 1% |
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 Custer
Who supplies Custer’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Custer Water Association (EPA ID WA5317050). 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 3.6 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Custer?
Puget Sound Energy (Puget Sound Energy Inc), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Custer?
Xfinity, Ziply Fiber, AT&T, Pogozone powered by Neubeam, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Custer?
98240 (71%), 98248 (29%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Custer in?
Ferndale School District.
How do I register to vote in Custer?
In Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before). Elections here are run by the Whatcom County Auditor. Check your registration at voter.votewa.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.