Living in Bolt, WV: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2017 is still open for Raleigh County PSD Arnett, which supplies Bolt. Bolt has no town government of its own, so Raleigh County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Raleigh County School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bolt, 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 Bolt.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Bolt. Its homes paid an average of 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $196 a month (its average across West Virginia).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Raleigh County PSD Arnett
Raleigh County PSD Arnett supplies Bolt: about 46% of residents live in its service area. About 54% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Beckley Water Company as seller) and serves 6,663 people in all.
11 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×11, the latest beginning Jul 2025. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2017: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 0.9 ppb. That’s lower than 59% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. WV3304140.
2 home internet providers serve Bolt
75% of 249 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable | 75% | 940/35 |
| Frontier | DSL | 46% | 90/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bolt’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bolt.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bolt is in Raleigh County 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
Bolt is unincorporated, so Raleigh County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Bolt spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Bolt residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bolt | ZIP’s residents in Bolt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25817 | Bolt, WV | 79% | 80% |
| 25839 | Fairdale, WV | 21% | 11% |
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 Bolt
Who supplies Bolt’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Raleigh County PSD Arnett (EPA ID WV3304140). It reported 11 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×11. 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.8 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bolt?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bolt?
Optimum, Frontier (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bolt?
25817 (79%), 25839 (21%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bolt in?
Raleigh County School District.
How do I register to vote in Bolt?
In West Virginia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Raleigh Clerk of the County Commission. Check your registration at apps.sos.wv.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 Aug 3, 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.