Living in Chief Lake, WI: what to set up and who to call
Chief Lake has no town government of its own, so Sawyer County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Hayward Community School District. Power in Chief Lake comes from Bayfield Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Chief Lake, 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 Chief Lake.
Power comes from Bayfield Electric Coop
Bayfield Electric Coop (Bayfield Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Chief Lake.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
3 home internet providers serve Chief Lake
77% of 414 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 17% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bevcomm | Fiber, DSL | 48% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 43% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 6% | 10/1 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Chief Lake’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Chief Lake.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Chief Lake (91%) is in Hayward Community School District; parts are in Winter School District (9%).
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
Chief Lake is unincorporated, so Sawyer County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Chief Lake spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Chief Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Chief Lake | ZIP’s residents in Chief Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54843 | Hayward, WI | 79% | 4% |
| 54828 | Couderay, WI | 11% | 10% |
| 54876 | Stone Lake, WI | 10% | 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 Chief Lake
Who provides electricity in Chief Lake?
Bayfield Electric Coop (Bayfield Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Chief Lake?
Bevcomm, Spectrum, CenturyLink (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Chief Lake?
54843 (79%), 54828 (11%), 54876 (10%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Chief Lake in?
Hayward Community School District. Parts of the city are in Winter School District.
How do I register to vote in Chief Lake?
In Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before). Elections here are run by the Town of Bass Lake Clerk. Check your registration at myvote.wi.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- 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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.