Cedar Rapids, IA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Cedar Rapids adopted the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code as its local Plumbing Code under Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 35.01 (Iowa Administrative Code 641-25), then added local amendments in Chapter 35. Section 35.24 adds UPC § 1501.1.1, Allowable Use of Alternative Water Sources, stating that approval of all alternative water sources requires review and approval by the Utilities Director or designee. In practice that means any property owner or contractor who wants to install a system supplying reclaimed, reused, or otherwise nonpotable water to fixtures, irrigation, or process uses must first get sign-off from the Utilities Director's office, not just a plumbing inspector, before the plumbing permit for that system can move forward.

Because an alternative water source system counts as plumbing work, it also falls under § 35.04, which bars any plumbing work in the city without a Plumbing Permit issued to a Licensed State Contractor under Iowa Code Chapter 105, with a narrow exception for minor faucet or valve repairs that alter no piping. Permit fees must be paid to the City Treasurer before the permit is issued, per § 35.06, and re-inspection fees apply if work is not ready when an inspection is called. If the recycled-water system is later abandoned or its owner stops maintaining it, Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 29.49 (amending IPMC § 505.5.1) requires the nonpotable water reuse system be shut down and abandoned in accordance with Chapter 35. Disputes over a Utilities Director denial or a Plumbing Inspector's interpretation go to the seven-member Plumbing Board of Appeals created by § 35.09, which cannot waive Code requirements but can rule on alternate materials and methods.