DE postcode district map, Derby
Supplier statuses last checked .
The DE postcode area covers 24 districts and 17,984 live postcodes, from DE1 to DE99. It is centred on Derby and also covers Burton upon Trent, Swadlincote, Alfreton, Ilkeston and Matlock.
Districts here average 749 postcodes.
Where the DE districts sit
7 districts are plotted without a label where labels would overlap; every one is in the table below.
Where DE sits
It is administratively fragmented, reaching into Derbyshire, City of Derby, Staffordshire and Leicestershire and 1 other authority.
Water supply across DE
All 24 DE districts are supplied by Severn Trent. That makes DE simple in a way many areas are not: one company, one set of rules, one status to check.
We are re-checking Severn Trent's status. It was last confirmed on 18 August 2026 as voluntary appeal, and until it is confirmed again this page does not assert a current position for it.
The shape of the DE area
The districts are wildly uneven: DE21 holds 1,261 postcodes around Derby and DE99 holds 1, a ratio of about 1261 to one. They divide into 97 sectors.
The numbering is not continuous. DE runs up to 99 but has only 24 districts, so 75 numbers are unused:.
Several districts share a settlement, which is a common source of confusion when a form rejects an address: DE1, DE3, DE21, DE22, DE23, DE24, DE73 and DE99 all point at Derby, DE13, DE14, DE15 and DE65 all point at Burton upon Trent and DE11 and DE12 all point at Swadlincote.
What borders DE
DE sits next to ST (Stoke-on-Trent) to the west, WS (Walsall) to the south west, S (Sheffield) to the north, NG (Nottingham) to the east and LE (Leicester) to the south east.
Its neighbours run in 5 different directions, so DE is landlocked by other postcode areas on most sides.
DE districts, settlements and water supply
| District | Principal settlement | Water company | Hosepipe ban status |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE1 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE3 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE4 | Matlock | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE5 | Ripley | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE6 | Ashbourne | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE7 | Ilkeston | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE11 | Swadlincote | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE12 | Swadlincote | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE13 | Burton upon Trent | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE14 | Burton upon Trent | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE15 | Burton upon Trent | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE21 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE22 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE23 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE24 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE45 | Bakewell | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE55 | Alfreton | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE56 | Belper | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE65 | Burton upon Trent | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE72 | Sandiacre | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE73 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE74 | Long Eaton | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE75 | Heanor | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
| DE99 | Derby | Severn Trent | Check with your supplier |
Principal settlement is the town or city each district sits in or nearest to, derived from OS Open Names. It is not the Royal Mail post town, which is licensed data and not published openly. Status is resolved live from each company’s own notice.
Water hardness in DE
No water company covering DE publishes hardness figures as open data. The gap is named per district below so you know who to ask.
| District | Hardness | As published | Supply zone | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE1 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE3 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE4 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE5 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE6 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE7 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE11 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE12 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE13 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE14 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE15 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE21 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE22 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE23 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE24 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE45 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE55 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE56 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE65 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE72 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE73 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE74 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE75 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
| DE99 | Not published by Severn Trent. Check with your supplier. | |||
Hardness is published per census area, not per postcode, so these figures characterise a district rather than measuring one address. They are a scale and taste matter, not a safety one. Hardness data version wessex-water@2022-2025+yorkshire-water@2026.
Download the DE data
No signup, no email wall. GeoJSON carries the district points, the supplier and the live status, so it can be dropped straight into a map.
District positions are averaged postcode centroids from OS Code-Point Open. They show roughly where a district sits, not where its boundary runs, and are not legal boundaries.
Frequently asked questions
How many postcode districts are in the DE area?
There are 24 DE postcode districts, running from DE1 to DE99, and they contain 17,984 live postcodes across 97 sectors.
What towns does the DE postcode area cover?
DE covers Derby, Burton upon Trent, Swadlincote, Alfreton, Ilkeston and Matlock. The area takes its name from Derby, and each district is listed with its settlement in the table on this page.
Which water company supplies DE postcodes?
Severn Trent supplies all 24 DE districts. Supply boundaries follow the pipe network rather than postcode geography, so confirm against your water bill if you are near the edge of the area.
Why do DE1 and DE3 both say Derby?
DE1, DE3, DE21, DE22, DE23, DE24, DE73 and DE99 all serve Derby, covering different parts of it. A single town routinely needs more than one postcode district once it passes a few thousand delivery points, so this is normal rather than an error in an address.
Can I download a free DE postcode map?
Yes. This page offers the DE districts as GeoJSON, CSV and SVG, free and with no signup or email address required. The GeoJSON carries each district's position, its water company and its current restriction status, so it can be dropped straight into a mapping tool.
Which councils cover the DE postcode area?
DE reaches into Derbyshire, City of Derby, Staffordshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. A postcode area is not a council area: they were drawn for different purposes and a single district can sit across a council boundary, so your postcode does not tell you which authority you pay.
Why is there no DE2 postcode district?
DE2 is not in use. Postcode districts are allocated as sorting requirements change rather than numbered straight through, and a code that is retired or never brought into service is not reissued, so gaps in the sequence are normal.