Coweta County, GA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Reclaimed water permitted by
- Georgia EPD treatment system permit
- Approved indoor uses
- Toilets, urinals, floor drain trap primers
- Eligible buildings
- Motels, apartments, commercial, industrial, institutional
- New-system irrigation limit
- Golf courses and agriculture only
- Governing section
- Code § 14-33, Plumbing Code § 1304.3.2
Summary
Coweta County's plumbing code lets reclaimed water from an EPD-permitted treatment system supply toilets, urinals, floor-drain trap primers, and water features in motels, apartments, and commercial buildings where occupants have no direct plumbing access. Outdoor irrigation with reclaimed water from any new private system, though, is limited to golf courses and agriculture.
1304.3.2 Connections to water supply. Reclaimed water provided from a reclaimed wastewater treatment system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division may be used to supply water closets, urinals, trap primers for floor drains and floor sinks, water features and other uses approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction, in motels, hotels, apartment and condominium buildings, and commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings, where the individual guest or occupant does not have access to plumbing. Also, other systems that may use a lesser quality of water than potable water such as water chillers, carwashes or an industrial process may be supplied with reclaimed water provided from a reclaimed wastewater treatment facility permitted by the Environmental Protection Division. The use of reclaimed water sourced from any new private reclaimed wastewater treatment system for outdoor irrigation shall be limited to golf courses and agriculture operations as defined in the Official Code of Georgia Section 1-3-3, and such reclaimed water shall not be approved for use for irrigating any other outdoor landscape such as ground cover, tree, shrubs, or other plants.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40).
Full Breakdown
2 of Coweta County's amended plumbing code, part of the Chapter 13 Nonpotable Water Systems provisions adopted under Sec. 14-33 by Ord. No. 011-24, effective July 16, 2024, allows reclaimed water from a reclaimed wastewater treatment system permitted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to supply water closets, urinals, trap primers for floor drains and floor sinks, water features, and other uses the authority having jurisdiction approves, but only in motels, hotels, apartment and condominium buildings, and commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings where the individual guest or occupant has no direct access to the plumbing.
The same reclaimed source can also feed nonpotable industrial uses such as water chillers, carwashes, or process water. § 1-3-3, and it may not be approved to irrigate any other landscaped area such as ground cover, trees, or shrubs. Those irrigation limits do not apply to existing private reclaimed water systems already in service, nor to reclaimed water from an existing or new governmentally-owned reclaimed wastewater treatment system, so a county-owned or other government-owned reclaimed system can supply a wider range of irrigation uses.
Violations & Fines
Installing or operating a reclaimed-water connection outside these limits is enforced by the building official as a violation of the amended plumbing code. Under Sec. 14-32.1's general compliance rule for the county's adopted building codes and ordinances, an uncorrected violation is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.00, up to 60 days imprisonment, or both, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a new apartment building in Coweta County flush toilets with reclaimed water?
Can I irrigate my lawn with reclaimed water from a new private treatment system?
Do the reclaimed water irrigation limits apply to older systems?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coweta County
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