Ocala, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Division 17 of Chapter 70 of the Code of Ordinances, cited as the City of Ocala Reclaimed Water Ordinance and adopted by Ordinance No. 5615 in 2006, applies within reuse service areas that the City Engineer designates where reclaimed water trunk mains exist or are planned. Section 70-352 states the purpose is to reduce use of well and potable water for non-potable uses by supplying reclaimed water, and section 70-354 conditions new development approvals on reclaimed water availability, calculated at a minimum irrigation rate of one inch per week (3,900 gallons per day per acre of irrigable area), with distance thresholds in a table ranging from 150 feet for demand under 25,000 gallons per day up to 1,350 feet for demand over 100,000 gallons per day.

Once notified that service is available, section 70-355(b)(2) makes it mandatory that all irrigation systems in a reuse service area connect to the reclaimed water system within 90 days, and existing irrigation wells not kept as an approved backup source must be plugged and abandoned under St. Johns River Water Management District rules. Section 70-357 requires reclaimed water piping, valves, and hydrants to be color-coded purple with tagged warnings, a minimum six-inch main size, and a six-foot horizontal or twelve-inch vertical separation from potable lines, and it bars reclaimed water from filling pools or hot tubs, entering a single-family home, or serving fire protection without written City Engineer approval. Applications and connection fees are handled through the Ocala Electric Utility Customer Service Office under section 70-356.