Okaloosa County, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Section 24-192 sets a real mandate, not just encouragement: the Board of County Commissioners 'requires utilization' of reclaimed water in lieu of the potable water system wherever reclaimed service is available, while continuing to expand the reclaimed system so more properties reach that threshold. The companion section, § 24-191, backs that mandate with a metering rule: separate water meters dedicated to irrigation are prohibited, except for a residential single-family customer who satisfies four conditions at once. The customer must already have both water and sewer service from Okaloosa County Water and Sewer; must provide a notarized statement from a licensed well driller confirming the sand-and-gravel aquifer isn't accessible on the property, or a notarized homeowners'-association covenant barring a private well; must pay for the irrigation meter's installation and hire a licensed plumber or irrigation contractor to connect it, including an automatic rain-sensor shutoff; and must accept that the domestic and irrigation meters' combined consumption is billed together under the inclining block rate for residential water, though irrigation-meter usage is not charged for sewer.

Section 24-191 closes by stating the Board 'discourages the use of potable water for irrigation purposes and encourages the use of reclaimed water and sand and gravel aquifer wells for irrigation purposes, where available,' the same policy § 24-192 turns into a requirement once reclaimed water reaches a property.