Photo: Jeffery Hayes · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Seattle, WA: what to set up and who to call
Seattle runs its own electric utility, City of Seattle; its homes paid 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025. The dump is the town’s own: North Transfer Station, open 8 am–5:30 pm (days not listed) by OpenStreetMap’s listing.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Seattle, 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 Seattle.
Power comes from City of Seattle
City of Seattle (City of Seattle - (WA)), a municipal utility, serves 97.8% of Seattle residents. Its homes paid an average of 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $87 a month (its average across Washington).
Start or move service: seattle.gov · (800) 862-1181
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Seattle Public Utilities
Seattle Public Utilities supplies almost all of Seattle. It draws surface water (EPA lists City of Renton as seller) and serves 1,161,961 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 82% of the 27 systems serving more than 1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 1.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.5 ppb. That’s lower than 52% 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. WA5377050.
7 home internet providers serve Seattle
100% of 177,762 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 80% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Quantum Fiber | Fiber | 81% | 2,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | Fiber, DSL | 23% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, Fiber, DSL | 17% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 72% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 66% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Seattle
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Seattle, from the town’s own site.
North Transfer Station
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
From seattle.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated Final Approved June 2023. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Seattle is in Seattle Public Schools.
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 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Seattle spans 24 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Seattle residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Seattle | ZIP’s residents in Seattle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98115 | Seattle, WA | 7% | 100% |
| 98103 | Seattle, WA | 7% | 100% |
| 98105 | Seattle, WA | 7% | 100% |
| 98118 | Seattle, WA | 6% | 100% |
| 98125 | Seattle, WA | 6% | 100% |
| 98122 | Seattle, WA | 6% | 100% |
| 98117 | Seattle, WA | 5% | 100% |
| 98109 | Seattle, WA | 5% | 100% |
| 98144 | Seattle, WA | 4% | 100% |
| 98107 | Seattle, WA | 4% | 100% |
| 98116 | Seattle, WA | 4% | 100% |
| 98119 | Seattle, WA | 4% | 100% |
| 98133 | Seattle, WA | 4% | 51% |
| 98102 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 100% |
| 98108 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 97% |
| 98106 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 90% |
| 98126 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 99% |
| 98112 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 100% |
| 98199 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 100% |
| 98121 | Seattle, WA | 3% | 100% |
| 98136 | Seattle, WA | 2% | 100% |
| 98101 | Seattle, WA | 2% | 100% |
| 98104 | Seattle, WA | 2% | 100% |
| 98177 | Seattle, WA | 1% | 42% |
A few homes fall in 98178, 98146, 98195, 98134, 98164, 98155. 98111, 98113, 98114, 98124, 98127, 98129, 98131, 98138, 98139, 98141, 98145, 98154, 98158, 98160, 98161, 98165, 98170, 98174, 98175, 98181, 98185, 98190, 98191, 98194 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 Seattle
When is the North Transfer Station open?
8 am–5:30 pm (days not listed), according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check seattle.gov before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Seattle’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Seattle Public Utilities (EPA ID WA5377050). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 82% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.6 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Seattle?
City of Seattle (City of Seattle - (WA)), a municipal utility. Its homes paid about 14.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Seattle?
Xfinity, Quantum Fiber, CenturyLink, Astound Broadband, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Seattle?
98115 (7%), 98103 (7%), 98105 (7%), 98118 (6%), 98125 (6%), 98122 (6%), 98117 (5%), 98109 (5%), 98144 (4%), 98107 (4%), 98116 (4%), 98119 (4%), 98133 (4%), 98102 (3%), 98108 (3%), 98106 (3%), 98126 (3%), 98112 (3%), 98199 (3%), 98121 (3%), 98136 (2%), 98101 (2%), 98104 (2%), 98177 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Seattle in?
Seattle Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Seattle?
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: Seattle’s own website (seattle.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.