Living in North Yelm, WA: what to set up and who to call
North Yelm has no town government of its own, so Thurston County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Yelm Community Schools. Tap water in most of North Yelm comes from the Nisqually Pines Community Club water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in North Yelm, 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 North Yelm.
Power comes from Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy (Puget Sound Energy Inc), an investor-owned utility, serves all of North Yelm. 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 Nisqually Pines Community Club water system
The Nisqually Pines Community Club water system supplies North Yelm: about 61% of residents live in its service area. City of Yelm serves another 21%. Andrews First serves another 10%. About 12% 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 2,037 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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. WA5359591.
5 home internet providers serve North Yelm
94% of 1,187 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 96% | 2,000/250 |
| Lightcurve | DSL, Fiber | 85% | 25/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 8% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 3% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 3% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 1 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in North Yelm.
Yelm Waste Transfer Station
This isn’t North Yelm’s own facility. Whether North Yelm 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.
North Yelm is in Yelm Community Schools.
B−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
North Yelm is unincorporated, so Thurston County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
North Yelm is in ZIP code 98597
ZIP codes where North Yelm residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of North Yelm | ZIP’s residents in North Yelm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98597 | Yelm, WA | 100% | 12% |
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 North Yelm
Who supplies North Yelm’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Nisqually Pines Community Club water system (EPA ID WA5359591). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in North Yelm?
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 North Yelm?
Xfinity, Lightcurve, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in North Yelm?
98597. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is North Yelm in?
Yelm Community Schools.
How do I register to vote in North Yelm?
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 Thurston 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.