Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Machias, WA: what to set up and who to call
Machias has no town government of its own, so Snohomish County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Snohomish School District. The closest public drop-off to Machias is Dubuque Road Drop Box, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Machias, 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 Machias.
Power comes from Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy (Puget Sound Energy Inc), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Machias. 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 Sno PUD 1 - Lake Stevens water system
The Sno PUD 1 - Lake Stevens water system supplies Machias: about 96% of residents live in its service area. About 4% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists City of Everett Public Works Dept. as seller) and serves 67,710 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 3.2 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. WA5380907.
6 home internet providers serve Machias
94% of 466 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 3% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 93% | 2,000/250 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, DSL | 3% | 1,500/50 |
| Ziply Fiber | Fiber | 2% | 6,000/6,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 69% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 42% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 3% | 25/6 |
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 Machias.
Dubuque Road Drop Box
19619 Dubuque Road, Snohomish, WA, 98290
This isn’t Machias’ own facility. Whether Machias residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
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 Machias (83%) is in Snohomish School District; parts are in Lake Stevens School District (17%).
A−School 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
Machias is unincorporated, so Snohomish County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Machias spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Machias residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Machias | ZIP’s residents in Machias |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98258 | Lake Stevens, WA | 67% | 2% |
| 98290 | Snohomish, WA | 33% | 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 Machias
Who supplies Machias’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Sno PUD 1 - Lake Stevens water system (EPA ID WA5380907). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.2 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Machias?
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 Machias?
Xfinity, Astound Broadband, Ziply Fiber, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Machias?
98258 (67%), 98290 (33%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Machias in?
Snohomish School District. Parts of the city are in Lake Stevens School District.
How do I register to vote in Machias?
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 Snohomish 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.