Setting Up Utilities in Tool, Texas

Tool sits where Oncor's territory overlaps Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative's. At an Oncor address you're in Texas's deregulated market: Oncor owns the poles and wires, reads your meter and restores power after storms, and you buy the electricity from a retail provider — compare price per kilowatt-hour, contract length, and fixed-versus-variable rates on Power to Choose before move-in. At a TVEC address the co-op sells you the power directly and there's nothing to shop. Check which one serves your street before you sign a plan.

Tool doesn't run its own water system — West Cedar Creek Municipal Utility District, headquartered on South Tool Drive, handles water and wastewater for the lake's west side, and the number the city lists for water service rings the district office. Garbage is simpler than most lake towns: the city's franchise agreement sends everything through Republic Services, including bulk pickup and dumpsters. Piped natural gas is limited, with propane tanks the standard arrangement — confirm before counting on gas.

Providers report home internet service inside Tool city limits over cable at 81% of homes, licensed fixed wireless at 76% of homes, unlicensed fixed wireless at 23% of homes, and DSL over copper phone lines at 3% of homes, out of 1,817 homes and apartments, according to FCC National Broadband Map data as of December 31, 2025.

At least 81% of homes have a reported wired or fixed-wireless option of 100/20 Mbps or faster. No provider reports gigabit (1,000/100 Mbps) service inside Tool city limits.

Optimum reports service to 81% of homes inside Tool city limits, the widest reported coverage of any provider other than the satellite companies and the 5G home-internet carriers. No provider reports fiber inside Tool city limits.

Availability is address-specific: check your exact address on the FCC National Broadband Map before signing up.