Clearwater, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Article IX of Chapter 32 governs Clearwater's purple-pipe reclaimed water system, and Sec. on any day of the week, and even outside that window the water should be applied only to the extent lawns, gardens and individual plants actually need it, not run freely. The rule sits inside a broader mandatory-connection scheme. Sec. 351 states the city's intent to minimize potable water use for nonpotable purposes by building out reclaimed water service, and Sec. 353 adopts Chapter 62-610 of the Florida Administrative Code by reference, with the stricter of the two rules controlling wherever they conflict and any FAC violation independently punishable as a code violation.

Once reclaimed water is available to a property, Sec. 376 makes it unlawful to keep irrigating through a lawn meter with potable water, and Sec. 377 bars drilling any new irrigation well on that same property. Every reclaimed water connection also needs a city-installed backflow prevention device isolating the potable system from cross-connection under Sec. 375, and Pinellas County Public Health Unit inspectors, along with city staff, have a standing right to enter any reclaimed-water customer's property to check for cross-connections. All reclaimed water pipe and above-ground fittings must be colored Pantone Purple 522C under Sec. 00 utility credit under Sec. 2.