Marietta, GA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 6-8-3-030, Marietta Code
- Reclaimed source
- EPD-permitted wastewater treatment system
- Indoor uses allowed
- water closets, urinals, trap primers, water features
- New private-system irrigation
- golf courses and farmland only
- Local utility
- Board of Lights and Water, not Georgia Power
Summary
Marietta's plumbing code lets buildings use reclaimed water from an EPD-permitted treatment system for toilets, urinals, floor-drain trap primers, and water features in hotels, apartments, and commercial buildings where occupants have no direct plumbing access, but it bars reclaimed water from any new private treatment plant from irrigating anything but golf courses and farmland.
Reclaimed water provided from a reclaimed wastewater treatment system permitted by the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) 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 (AHJ), 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. ... The use of reclaimed water sourced from any new private reclaimed wastewater treatment system for outdoor irrigation shall be limited to golf courses and agricultural operations as defined in O.C.G.A. § 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 56).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-8-3-030 of the Marietta Code allows reclaimed water supplied by a wastewater treatment system permitted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to serve 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, specifically where the individual guest or occupant lacks direct access to plumbing. The same reclaimed-water source can also supply lower-quality uses such as water chillers, car washes, or industrial processes.
§ 1-3-3, and may not be approved for watering any other landscape, including ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants. That outdoor-irrigation limit does not apply to reclaimed water from existing private reclaimed systems or from any governmentally-owned reclaimed wastewater treatment system, new or existing, which can supply a broader range of irrigation uses. 0 gpm.
Violations & Fines
A building owner who routes reclaimed water to an outdoor irrigation system beyond the golf-course and agricultural-operation exception, or who supplies it to a fixture without EPD or AHJ approval, is out of compliance with Section 6-8-3-030 and subject to the plumbing code's general enforcement and correction process administered by the building official and BLW, the same review that governs any other unapproved plumbing installation in the water service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Marietta apartment building use reclaimed water to flush toilets?
Can I irrigate my lawn with reclaimed water in Marietta?
Who runs Marietta's water and reclaimed-water system?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marietta
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