Redwood City, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Program
- Residential Recycled Water Fill Station Program
- Access Card fee
- Set by City Council resolution
- Usage charge
- Per-gallon Consumption Charge, by resolution
- Billing
- Separate line item on utility bill
- Participation
- Voluntary enrollment
Summary
Residents who join Redwood City's Recycled Water Fill Station Program pay a one-time fee for an Access Card plus a per-gallon Consumption Charge, both set by City Council resolution and billed as separate line items on the water utility bill under Code Sec. 38.13(C).
C.Recycled Water Fill Station Fees: Residential customers of the City electing to participate in the Residential Recycled Water Fill Station Program shall pay a fee to receive a Recycled Water Fill Station Access Card, in an amount to be established by ordinance or resolution of the City Council. Participants will also pay the Recycled Water Fill Stations Consumption Charge for each gallon of recycled water taken from the fill station, in an amount to be established by ordinance or resolution of the City Council. These fees and charges will be added as separate line item on the customer's utility bill.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13 lays out several water user fees and penalties, and subsection C covers the Residential Recycled Water Fill Station Program specifically. A residential customer who elects to participate pays a fee to receive a Recycled Water Fill Station Access Card, with the amount set by City Council ordinance or resolution rather than fixed in the code text itself. Participants then also pay a Recycled Water Fill Stations Consumption Charge for every gallon of recycled water they take from the fill station, again set by resolution.
Both charges show up as separate line items on the participant's regular utility bill rather than a separate invoice. The program sits within Article II of Chapter 38, alongside other connection and reconnection fees the City charges water customers, including an after-hours reconnection fee and a cut-lock penalty fee for anyone who cuts a lock the City placed on a delinquent or unauthorized meter. Program participation is voluntary: a customer chooses to enroll to access recycled water for irrigation or other approved non-potable uses rather than being required to use the fill station, and the code does not set a mandatory recycled-water hookup requirement for existing residential parcels in this section.
Violations & Fines
The code does not describe a specific penalty for nonpayment of Recycled Water Fill Station fees beyond the general water-service billing and collection framework in Chapter 38, under which unpaid utility charges can lead to service disconnection and the customer being charged applicable reconnection fees once the account is brought current. Unauthorized use of City water infrastructure to obtain water outside the program, such as tapping a fire hydrant or meter without City authorization, is separately penalized under Sec. 38.13(F) with escalating fines starting at $1,000 for a second offense and $2,000 for a third.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Redwood City charge to use the recycled water fill station?
Do I have to pay a separate bill for recycled water?
Is joining the recycled water program mandatory?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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