Carrollton, TX Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Connection to public supply
- Prohibited for all reclaimed water systems
- Pre-activation inspection
- Required before any reclaimed water system activates
- Backflow testing
- Must be tested by a city-registered BPAT
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 56, Cross-Connection Control and Prevention
- Effective date
- Ordinance 4293, adopted December 2, 2025
- Maximum fine
- $2,000.00 per violation under § 10.99(A)(2)(c)
Summary
Carrollton's cross-connection ordinance bars every reclaimed water system, including industrial ones, from ever connecting to the public water supply. Before a reclaimed water system can operate, the city must inspect it, and any backflow prevention assembly protecting the stand-alone system must be tested and certified by a city-registered BPAT first.
Installation of all reclaimed water systems, including industrial reclaimed water systems, must be inspected prior to the system being activated. All reclaimed water systems are prohibited from being connected to the public water system. Backflow prevention assemblies installed on these stand-alone systems shall be tested upon installation by a BPAT and certified to be operating within specifications prior to connection to the public water system.
Full Breakdown
02). 05(A) lists the circumstances that require an approved backflow prevention assembly, and subsection (12) singles out reclaimed water: installation of any reclaimed water system, including an industrial one, must be inspected before the system is activated, and every reclaimed water system is prohibited outright from connecting to the city's public water system. Because these systems must stand alone, any backflow prevention assembly protecting one has to be tested upon installation by a city-registered Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT) and certified as operating within specifications before the assembly can be placed into service.
01 is to protect Carrollton's potable supply from contamination by isolating a customer's private water systems, and reclaimed water is treated as a non-potable auxiliary source under that framework. 17. 19, which likewise treat any water inside irrigation piping as non-potable and prohibit cross-connecting it to drinking-water lines.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Chapter 56, including an illegal connection of a reclaimed water system to the public supply, is punishable under the citywide general penalty at § 10.99(A)(2)(c), which caps fines for Chapter 56 offenses at $2,000.00 because the chapter governs public health and sanitation. The city administers inspections and BPAT registration, and a reclaimed water system found out of compliance cannot be activated or connected until it passes inspection and testing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I connect a reclaimed water system to Carrollton's public water supply?
Does the city inspect reclaimed water systems before they operate?
What penalty applies for violating Carrollton's reclaimed water rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carrollton
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Carrollton to another location·View the Texas water use rules overview
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