Denver, CO Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Health & Environment
- Program scope
- Citywide, all of Denver
- Program fee
- None; plumbing permit fees apply
- Registry
- Searchable tracking of facilities required
Summary
Denver permits beneficial reuse of graywater from residential, commercial, and industrial buildings under a citywide program run by the Department of Public Health and Environment, with design review, inspection, and compliance tracking rather than a ban on reuse.
The purpose of this article is to allow the beneficial reuse of graywater within the City and County of Denver.
(Ord. No. 177-16, § 1, 5-2-16)
Sec. 24-602. - Definitions. The following words and phrases, when used in this article, have the meanings defined in this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(a)Board means the board of public health and environment of the City and County of Denver.(b)Graywater means that portion of wastewater that, before being treated or combined with other wastewater, is collected from fixtures within residential, commercial, or industrial buildings or institutional facilities for the purpose of being put to beneficial uses.(c)Graywater treatment works means an arrangement of devices and structures used to:(1)Collect graywater from within a building or a facility; and(2)Treat, neutralize, or stabilize graywater within the same building or facility to the level necessary for its authorized uses.(d)Graywater use program means the administrative program implemented by the department of public health and environment, in coordination with the department of community planning and development, to facilitate and regulate graywater use within the City and County of Denver.(e)Manager means the manager of the department of public health and environment of the City and County of Denver. (Ord. No. 177-16, § 1, 5-2-16; Ord. No. 427-18, § 14, 6-11-18)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 147 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 24, Article XIII of the Denver Revised Municipal Code establishes a graywater use program covering the full legal boundary of the City and County of Denver. Graywater is wastewater collected from building fixtures before treatment, put to beneficial uses once processed through graywater treatment works that must meet all federal, state, and local requirements. The Board of Public Health and Environment adopts implementing rules, while the Department of Public Health and Environment, coordinating with Community Planning and Development, handles design review, inspection, enforcement, and complaint review. Denver charges no separate program fee, though standard plumbing permit and plan review fees still apply, and the city maintains a searchable registry tracking each graywater treatment works and its responsible party.
Violations & Fines
The manager of Public Health and Environment, or a designee, enforces this article and any board-adopted rules; noncompliant graywater treatment works face design review, inspection, and enforcement action rather than a stated fixed fine in the code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is graywater reuse legal in Denver?
Does Denver charge a fee for the graywater program?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Denver
Compare Denver to another location·View the Colorado water use rules overview
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