Rohnert Park, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- RPMC Chapter 13.03, City Recycled Water System
- Service extension
- City will not extend recycled water beyond city limits
- Rates
- Set separately via recycled water agreement, not standard rates
- Connection requirement
- Signed recycled water agreement required before use
- Tampering penalty
- $500 first offense, $1,000 each later offense
Summary
Rohnert Park runs a separate recycled water system under Chapter 13.03 for approved uses like irrigation, operated under the same rules as the potable water system except for rates. The city will not extend recycled water service beyond city limits, and customers must sign a recycled water agreement before connecting.
There is established in the city a public recycled water supply system to be known as the Rohnert Park City recycled water system which shall include all facilities for the distribution of recycled water including all improvements, additions, extensions thereto. ... The purpose of the Rohnert Park recycled water system to provide an alternative water supply source for the inhabitants of the city, in accordance with the city's agreement with its wholesale suppliers. The city shall not permit the extension of recycled water service beyond its limits. ... The Rohnert Park recycled water system shall be operated under the provisions of Chapter 13.02, which govern the Rohnert Park potable water system, except that the city council shall set applicable recycled water rates and connection fees through an approved form of a recycled water agreement.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 51 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
02. 020 states the purpose is to give city inhabitants an alternative water source consistent with the city's wholesale supplier agreements, and expressly bars extending recycled water service beyond the city limits. 02, except that the city council sets recycled water rates and connection fees separately through an approved recycled water agreement rather than the standard water rate schedule. 040 defines the key terms: 'approved uses' means uses listed in the city's Recycled Water User's Guide or approved by state law for tertiary-treated recycled water; the 'on-site recycled water system' is the customer-side plumbing beginning at the coupling past the meter; and 'recycled water' must meet the state-law definition of disinfected tertiary recycled water.
Every customer who wants to use recycled water must sign a recycled water agreement, which requires compliance with the Recycled Water User's Guide and all applicable state and local rules, including California Code of Regulations Title 22 design, installation, operation and maintenance standards for on-site systems. 06: unauthorized connections and tampering are misdemeanors, and the city can terminate service for noncompliance after five days' written notice, or immediately without notice where noncompliance endangers public health or safety.
Violations & Fines
Unauthorized connection to or tampering with the recycled water system is a misdemeanor under Section 13.06.020, with escalating penalties: $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense. The city can also terminate recycled water service to a noncompliant customer after five days' written notice under Section 13.06.030, or immediately without notice if the noncompliance threatens public health, safety or the system itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get recycled water service outside Rohnert Park's city limits?
Do I need a special agreement to use recycled water?
What happens if I connect to the recycled water system without authorization?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rohnert Park
California rules heatmap·Compare Rohnert Park to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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