Gainesville, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 27-126.1(c)(3)
- Core rule
- No new irrigation meter if reclaimed water available
- Administering utility
- Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU)
- Irrigation meter size
- 5/8-inch, where reclaimed water unavailable
- Fee break
- No initial flow-based connection charge
- Billing rate
- Nonresidential wastewater rate, no consumptive charge
Summary
Gainesville Regional Utilities will not install a new water meter for irrigation-only service if reclaimed water already reaches the property. City Code § 27-126.1(c)(3) requires irrigation customers on an available reclaimed water main to connect to that system instead of tapping a separate potable meter, reserving separate irrigation meters for properties reclaimed water cannot yet reach.
(c)Water meter for water consumption not returned to the wastewater system. Any water customer may have the city install a separate water meter for the measurement of water not returned to the wastewater system or for irrigation purposes. The water used through this separate meter will be billed as a separate service and under the same provisions applicable to any existing water service but will not be subject to a monthly wastewater consumptive use charge or initial wastewater connection charges.(1)Customers using this method of metering will be charged the nonresidential wastewater rate for water metered through the water meter supplying general water service.(2)Customers installing a separate five-eighths inch water meter for irrigation purposes where reclaimed water is not available shall not be assessed initial flow-based water or wastewater connection charges.(3)New installation of water meters for irrigation purposes are prohibited if reclaimed water is available to the customer from the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
Under Gainesville Code of Ordinances § 27-126.1(c), any water customer may ask the city to install a separate meter to measure water that is not returned to the wastewater system, most commonly for landscape irrigation. Subsection (c)(3) states plainly that new installation of water meters for irrigation purposes is prohibited if reclaimed water is available to the customer from the city, meaning Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) will deny an application for a stand-alone irrigation meter once a reclaimed water main serves the address; the customer must instead tap the reclaimed system for outdoor watering.
Where reclaimed water is not yet available, § 27-126.1(c)(2) lets the customer install a separate five-eighths inch meter dedicated to irrigation without paying the initial flow-based water or wastewater connection charge that applies to a standard service tap. Water metered through that irrigation line is billed under § 27-126.1(c)(1) at the nonresidential wastewater rate for the general-service meter, but is exempt from the monthly wastewater consumptive-use charge and the initial wastewater connection charge, because irrigation water does not return to the sewer system for treatment.
The separate-meter option sits inside the same section that sets water meter installation charges generally: § 27-126.1(a) covers the standard meter-assembly and service-lateral charge based on the fee schedule in Appendix A, and § 27-126.1(b) covers meter-only installations in developments where the developer already installed the lateral, yoke and meter box. All of these charges and the reclaimed-water restriction are administered by Gainesville Regional Utilities as part of the city's Water and Wastewater Construction Standards.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate fine for requesting a prohibited irrigation meter; GRU simply rejects the application under § 27-126.1(c)(3) once its records show a reclaimed water main reaches the property, and directs the customer to connect to the reclaimed system instead. Customers who already had a qualifying five-eighths inch irrigation meter installed before reclaimed water arrived keep billing under § 27-126.1(c)(1) and (c)(2) unless the property later converts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install a new irrigation-only water meter in Gainesville?
What if reclaimed water isn't available at my address yet?
Does an irrigation meter avoid wastewater charges?
Who administers reclaimed water and irrigation meters in Gainesville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gainesville
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Gainesville to another location·View the Florida water use rules overview
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