Holy Trinity Episcopal Church · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Palouse, WA: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Palouse is in ZIP code 99161. Palouse Branch Library, at 120 E Main, is the library in town.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Palouse, 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 Palouse.
Power comes from Avista
Avista (Avista Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Palouse. Its homes paid an average of 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $130 a month (its average across Washington).
Start or move service: avistacorp.com · (509) 489-0500
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Palouse Water Dept
City of Palouse Water Dept supplies almost all of Palouse. It draws ground water and serves 1,298 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 3.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.8 ppb. 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. WA5365800.
3 home internet providers serve Palouse
97% of 569 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 97% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFN | Fiber | 88% | 1,000/1,000 |
| First Step Internet | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 86% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Ziply Fiber | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 78% | 6,000/6,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Palouse’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Palouse.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Palouse is in Palouse School District.
ASchool 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 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Palouse is in ZIP code 99161
ZIP codes where Palouse residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Palouse | ZIP’s residents in Palouse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99161 | Palouse, WA | 100% | 70% |
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 Palouse
Who supplies Palouse’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
City of Palouse Water Dept (EPA ID WA5365800). 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 3.2 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Palouse?
Avista (Avista Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 14.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Palouse?
IFN, First Step Internet, Ziply Fiber (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Palouse?
99161. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Palouse in?
Palouse School District.
How do I register to vote in Palouse?
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 Whitman 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.