Acworth, GA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Watering hours
- 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. only
- Reclaimed water exemption
- EPD-permitted reclaimed waste water, any hour
- Enforcement agency
- Community Development and Police Department
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months (§ 1-11)
- Other exemptions
- Drip irrigation, gray water, personal gardens
Summary
Acworth limits outdoor landscape watering to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., but exempts water use from reclaimed wastewater systems. Anyone using reclaimed waste water supplied by a designated user under a Georgia EPD permit can water outside those hours without violating the city's watering-restriction ordinance, alongside personal gardens, drip irrigation and other listed exceptions.
Sec. 106-31. - Restrictions on outdoor landscape watering. Outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants may occur only between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.; provided, however, that this limitation shall not create any limitation upon the following outdoor water uses: ... (4)Use of reclaimed waste water by a designated user from a system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to provide reclaimed waste water;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
, but it lists thirteen categories of use the time limit does not reach. The fourth exemption covers 'use of reclaimed waste water by a designated user from a system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to provide reclaimed waste water,' so a property using a properly EPD-permitted reclaimed water source can irrigate at any hour. 2, personal food gardens, new landscape or turf establishment for 30 days, drip irrigation and soaker hoses, hand watering with an automatic shutoff, and private well or surface water on the same property.
The city has not built its own reclaimed-water utility; broader water and sewer service, including any purple-pipe or recycled-water infrastructure, runs through the county system the city adopted by reference at § 106-1, the Cobb County water and wastewater systems code. Enforcement of the outdoor watering article falls to the City of Acworth Community Development and Police Department, with the city manager able to authorize other departments to help enforce it (§ 106-32(b)).
Violations & Fines
Watering in violation of the time restriction, or misusing the reclaimed-water exemption for water that is not actually EPD-permitted, can be enforced by citation in the Acworth Municipal Court or by any other legal means under the Code (§ 106-32(c)). The watering article sets no separate fine, so a conviction falls under the city's general penalty section: a fine up to $1,000.00, up to six months in jail, or up to 60 days of public works labor, with each day a separate offense (§ 1-11).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I water my lawn with reclaimed water anytime in Acworth?
Does Acworth run its own recycled water utility?
What happens if someone waters outside the allowed hours in Acworth without a qualifying exemption?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Acworth
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