Nashville's Water Use Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles water use rules a little differently. In Nashville, Tennessee, there are 3 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Lawn Watering Restrictions

Metro Water Services may declare drought stages that limit outdoor irrigation. Stage 1 advises voluntary conservation; Stage 2 imposes odd-even or day-of-week irrigation schedules; Stage 3 bans most outdoor watering except for hand-held hoses on new plantings.

Key details: Source: Cumberland River. Stage 2: Odd-even watering. Stage 3: Most outdoor watering banned. First fine: Around $50.

First-time violators typically receive a written warning. Repeat watering during a Stage 2 or 3 declaration can result in fines starting around 50 dollars and rising for continued non-compliance, plus potential service-flow restrictors.

Leak Reporting Duty

Metro Water Services accepts leak reports through hubNashville and direct customer service. Residential customers who fix qualifying underground or hidden leaks can request a one-time bill adjustment that averages prior consumption against the high-leak month.

Key details: Report channel: hubNashville 311. Adjustment limit: One per period. Repair proof: Receipts required. Tampering penalty: Class A misdemeanor.

Tampering with water meters or bypassing service is a Class A misdemeanor under Metro Code Title 15 with fines and possible service termination. Failure to repair a known continuous leak can disqualify future adjustments.

Nashville is more permissive than most cities when it comes to leak reporting duty. That said, there are still limits.

Recycled Water Rules

Metro Water Services operates reclaimed-water and biosolids programs at its Central, Dry Creek, and Whites Creek wastewater plants. Treated effluent meets Cumberland River discharge permits, and a portion supports onsite reuse, irrigation pilots, and beneficial biosolids land application.

Key details: Plants: Central, Dry Creek, Whites Creek. Permit authority: TDEC NPDES. Biosolids class: Class B land-applied. Purple pipe?: No residential system.

Discharging unauthorized industrial waste to the sanitary sewer can incur major civil penalties under MWS pretreatment rules, often exceeding 1,000 dollars per day per violation, plus cost recovery for plant upset.

The rules around recycled water rules in Nashville lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Nashville gives residents more room on water use rules. 2 of the 3 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Nashville can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.