Photo: Junnell at English Wikipedia · Public domainLiving in Kent, WA: what to set up and who to call
The closest public drop-off to Kent is Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it. Trains stop in Kent.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Kent, 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 Kent.
Power comes from Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy (Puget Sound Energy Inc), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Kent. 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 Kent Water Department
Kent Water Department supplies Kent: about 56% of residents live in its service area. Soos Creek Water & Sewer District serves another 23%. Lake Meridian Water District serves another 14%. Highline Water District serves another 7%. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists City of Auburn and Soos Creek Water & Sewer District and Highline Water District and Lake Meridian Water District and City of Renton as sellers) and serves 166,421 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.0 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. WA5338150.
7 home internet providers serve Kent
100% of 31,160 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 10% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 2,000/250 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 48% | 140/20 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 9% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Ezee Fiber | Fiber | 3% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 60% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 53% | 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 Kent.
Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station
18800 Orillia Road S, Tukwila, WA, 98188
This isn’t Kent’s own facility. Whether Kent residents may use it is the town’s rule: check kentwa.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Kent (85%) is in Kent School District; parts are in Federal Way School District (8%) and Renton School District (3%).
B−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 Sep 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Kent spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Kent residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Kent | ZIP’s residents in Kent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98031 | Kent, WA | 31% | 100% |
| 98030 | Kent, WA | 28% | 100% |
| 98032 | Kent, WA | 28% | 98% |
| 98042 | Kent, WA | 11% | 32% |
A few homes fall in 98092. 98035, 98064, 98089 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 Kent
Who supplies Kent’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Kent Water Department (EPA ID WA5338150). 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 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Kent?
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 Kent?
Xfinity, CenturyLink, Quantum Fiber, Ezee Fiber, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Kent?
98031 (31%), 98030 (28%), 98032 (28%), 98042 (11%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Kent in?
Kent School District. Parts of the city are in Federal Way School District and Renton School District.
How do I register to vote in Kent?
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 King County Elections. 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.