Living in Ocean City, WA: what to set up and who to call
Ocean City has no town government of its own, so Grays Harbor County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend North Beach School District. The Ocean City water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 7.4 ppb, was higher than 95% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ocean City, 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 Ocean City.
Power comes from PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County
PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County (PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County), a political subdivision utility, serves all of Ocean City. Its homes paid an average of 12.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $133 a month (its average across Washington).
Start or move service: ghpud.org · (360) 532-4220
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Ocean City water system
The Ocean City water system supplies Ocean City: about 91% of residents live in its service area. About 9% 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 237 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 7.4 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 95% 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. WA5301088.
3 home internet providers serve Ocean City
77% of 221 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coast Communications Co | Cable | 76% | 1,000/50 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 65% | 60/5 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 8% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Ocean City’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ocean City.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ocean City is in North Beach 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
Ocean City is unincorporated, so Grays Harbor County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ocean City is in ZIP code 98569
ZIP codes where Ocean City residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ocean City | ZIP’s residents in Ocean City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98569 | Ocean Shores, WA | 100% | 3% |
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 Ocean City
Who supplies Ocean City’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Ocean City water system (EPA ID WA5301088). 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 7.4 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ocean City?
PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County (PUD No 1 of Grays Harbor County), a political subdivision utility. Its homes paid about 12.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ocean City?
Coast Communications Co, CenturyLink, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ocean City?
98569. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ocean City in?
North Beach School District.
How do I register to vote in Ocean City?
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 Grays Harbor 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.