Photo: college.library · CC BY 2.0Living in Madison, WI: what to set up and who to call
Madison Water Utility reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. Madison has its own drop-off, Central Drop-Off, on 121 East Olin Avenue.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Madison, 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 Madison.
Power comes from Wisconsin Power & Light
Wisconsin Power & Light (Wisconsin Power & Light Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Madison. Its homes paid an average of 18.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $128 a month (its average across Wisconsin).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Madison Water Utility
Madison Water Utility supplies almost all of Madison. It draws ground water and serves 272,000 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 86% of the 84 systems serving 250,001–500,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2023, was 1.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 62% 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. WI1130224.
7 home internet providers serve Madison
98% of 60,911 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 56% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fiber, DSL, Fixed wireless | 78% | 5,000/5,000 |
| TDS Telecom | Fiber, DSL | 17% | 8,000/8,000 |
| LiteWire | Fixed wireless | 83% | 100/25 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 73% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 71% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Madison
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Madison, from the town’s own site.
Streets Division drop-off sites (East, West, and Central)
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Plastic bottles, jugs, dairy tubs, and similar plastic containers
- Flattened cardboard boxes (including pizza boxes)
- Junk mail
- Newspaper, office paper, packing paper, etc.
- Magazines
- Cartons (milk, juice, soy milk, chicken broth, etc.)
- Paper cups
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
- Aluminum, steel, and tin cans
East Office & Drop-off Site
4602 Sycamore Ave
West Drop-off Site
402 South Point Rd
Central Drop-off Site
1504 Quann-Olin Parkway
From cityofmadison.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-07-28, 2026-08-03, 2026-08-19, 2026-09-04. 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.
Most of Madison (78%) is in Madison Metropolitan School District; parts are in Sun Prairie Area School District (7%) and Middleton-Cross Plains School District (6%) and McFarland School District (4%) and DeForest Area School District (3%).
CSchool 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 Apr 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Madison spans 15 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Madison residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Madison | ZIP’s residents in Madison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53704 | Madison, WI | 16% | 94% |
| 53703 | Madison, WI | 14% | 100% |
| 53711 | Madison, WI | 12% | 62% |
| 53719 | Madison, WI | 10% | 87% |
| 53705 | Madison, WI | 8% | 91% |
| 53715 | Madison, WI | 6% | 100% |
| 53718 | Madison, WI | 6% | 89% |
| 53714 | Madison, WI | 6% | 93% |
| 53717 | Madison, WI | 5% | 100% |
| 53713 | Madison, WI | 5% | 54% |
| 53716 | Madison, WI | 4% | 57% |
| 53593 | Verona, WI | 3% | 25% |
| 53726 | Madison, WI | 2% | 100% |
| 53706 | Madison, WI | 2% | 100% |
| 53562 | Middleton, WI | 1% | 12% |
A few homes fall in 53558, 53590. 53701, 53702, 53707, 53708, 53725, 53744, 53774, 53777, 53778, 53779, 53782, 53783, 53784, 53785, 53786, 53788, 53789, 53790, 53791, 53792, 53793, 53794 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Madison
Who supplies Madison’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Madison Water Utility (EPA ID WI1130224). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.8 ppb (Jun–Sep 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Madison?
Wisconsin Power & Light (Wisconsin Power & Light Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Madison?
Spectrum, AT&T, TDS Telecom, LiteWire, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Madison?
53704 (16%), 53703 (14%), 53711 (12%), 53719 (10%), 53705 (8%), 53715 (6%), 53718 (6%), 53714 (6%), 53717 (5%), 53713 (5%), 53716 (4%), 53593 (3%), 53726 (2%), 53706 (2%), 53562 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Madison in?
Madison Metropolitan School District. Parts of the city are in Sun Prairie Area School District and Middleton-Cross Plains School District and McFarland School District and DeForest Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Madison?
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 City of Madison Clerk. Check your registration at myvote.wi.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: Madison’s own website (cityofmadison.com), 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 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.