Flagler County, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 20-274(7)-(8)
- Reclaimed water use
- Allowed anytime, any day
- Detention-pond recycled water
- Allowed anytime if unaugmented
- Scope
- Unincorporated Flagler County only
Summary
Unincorporated Flagler County's irrigation-schedule limits do not apply to reclaimed or recycled water. Sec. 20-274 exempts irrigation from a reclaimed water system and irrigation from wet detention pond recycled water, letting both run any day and any hour, unlike the twice-weekly clock that governs potable-water sprinklers.
(7)The use of water from a reclaimed water system is allowed anytime. For the purpose of this paragraph, a reclaimed water system includes systems in which the primary source is reclaimed water, which may or may not be supplemented from another source during peak demand periods.(8)The use of recycled water from wet detention treatment ponds for irrigation is allowed anytime provided the ponds are not augmented from any ground or off-site surface water, or public supply sources.
Full Breakdown
Flagler County's Article IV, Water Conservation for Landscape Irrigation, sets a twice-a-week watering schedule for most sprinklers under Sec. 20-273, but Sec. 20-274 carves out reclaimed and recycled water from that clock entirely. Paragraph (7) allows irrigation using a reclaimed water system anytime, and defines a reclaimed water system as one whose primary source is reclaimed water even if another source supplements it during peak demand. Paragraph (8) separately allows irrigation using recycled water drawn from wet detention treatment ponds anytime, so long as those ponds are not topped off from groundwater, off-site surface water, or the public water supply.
The county's own definitions section, Sec. , as water that has received at least secondary treatment and basic disinfection and is reused after leaving a domestic wastewater treatment facility; that treatment standard is a state administrative rule, not a county-set number. These exceptions sit alongside other unrestricted uses in the same section, including micro-irrigation, drip and bubbler systems, hand-held hoses with automatic shutoff nozzles, and new-landscape establishment periods. The article applies only to property within unincorporated Flagler County; Palm Coast and the county's other incorporated cities set their own irrigation rules.
Violations & Fines
Because reclaimed and recycled water use is exempted rather than restricted, there is no violation or penalty tied to using it on an off-schedule day. The county's escalating irrigation penalties under Sec. 20-278, a written warning for a first offense, a $50.00 fine for a second, and up to $500.00 for later offenses, apply only to irrigation drawing on a non-exempt source outside its assigned schedule window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run reclaimed water irrigation on a day that isn't my assigned watering day?
Does using recycled pond water for irrigation ever get restricted?
Does this recycled-water exemption apply in Palm Coast?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Flagler County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Flagler County to another location·View the Florida water use rules overview
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