Cary, NC Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Deadline
- 90 days after notice of availability
- Penalty
- Fine up to $500 (Sec. 1-9)
- Continuing violation
- Each day a separate offense
- Trigger
- Director's written notice reclaimed water is available
- Jurisdiction
- Town of Cary, Wake/Chatham Counties, NC
Summary
The Town of Cary, North Carolina requires property owners to switch irrigation systems from potable town water to reclaimed water within 90 days of notice that reclaimed water is available.
It is unlawful to use potable water for irrigation systems 90 days after a property owner or water customer has been notified by the director that reclaimed water is available to a particular property or site ("notification of availability").
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
Cary Code of Ordinances § 36-206 makes it 'unlawful to use potable water for irrigation systems 90 days after a property owner or water customer has been notified by the director that reclaimed water is available to a particular property or site.' Under § 36-207, customers with existing potable-fed irrigation systems must apply for reclaimed water service and disconnect from the potable system within that same 90-day window once the Director of Utilities issues written notice of availability; new systems built after the ordinance's effective date must connect at construction if reclaimed water is available. Current through Ord. 2024-Code-04, effective 12-12-2024.
Violations & Fines
Using potable water past the 90-day deadline is a Code violation; § 1-9 sets a fine up to $500, with each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this mandate apply everywhere in Cary, NC?
What is 'reclaimed water' under Cary's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
Compare Cary to another location·View the North Carolina water use rules overview
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Recycled Water Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle recycled water rules.