Fort Collins, CO Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

City Code Division 3 of Chapter 5, adopted by Ordinance No. 094, 2022, creates Fort Collins' graywater program. Section 5-151 authorizes graywater use but narrows it: authorized uses are limited to toilet flushing only, covering Categories C and D of the state's Regulation 86 (5 CCR 1002-86) as modified to limit use for toilet flushing only. Graywater use is confined to land within the city where both the water provider and the wastewater provider have consented in writing; the City has already given blanket consent for all land inside its own water and wastewater service areas.

11, requires the potable water connection at a graywater or reclaimed water system to be protected against backflow by an air gap or reduced-pressure backflow prevention assembly. Section 5-152 makes it unlawful for any person to use graywater unless a permit has been obtained, and lets the Building Official issue an immediate stop-work order, plus additional penalties, if graywater work starts before a permit is issued. Section 5-153 spells out the application: legal description of the property, a description of the graywater treatment works and design flow calculations, the fixtures supplying the graywater, and the legally responsible party's signature.

Permits can be revoked for noncompliance under Section 5-155, and on annexation, a pre-existing graywater system must get a new City permit or be physically disconnected at the owner's expense.