Smyrna, TN Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Chapter 5 of Title 18 of the Smyrna Municipal Code governs the town's reclaimed water system. Section 18-501 requires anyone using or required to use the system to follow the chapter and the rest of the town's water and sewer provisions. Under § 18-503, approved uses include landscape irrigation, agricultural irrigation, construction water, water for industrial purposes, impoundment (fountains), and indoor toilet and urinal flushing. The list is not closed, but each use must have a permit before it receives reclaimed water, and the town can decide which sites and uses are served in its service area. Design and operation follow the town's adopted "Policies and Procedures for the Design and Operation of Reclaimed Water Facilities."

Section 18-504 lets the town require a reclaimed system in developments with more than five acres or ten building units, and in developments with mandatory landscaping requirements. Developments that use 7,500 gallons per day or more of reclaimed water and sit within 1,000 feet of an existing reclaimed line are required to install a system. The developer submits a water reuse estimate to the Utilities Department along with the site plan submittal to the Planning Department. Where a system is required, dual water systems, potable and reclaimed, go in even if reclaimed water is not yet available in the area.

Section 18-505 says permits are issued only after every permit condition is met, and a $50 fee applies to each reinspection after a failed inspection. Work cannot continue until that fee is paid. Section 18-529 requires the customer to install a reduced pressure backflow assembly on all potable services at the site before reclaimed service starts, and the customer maintains and tests it. Under § 18-513, one service line cannot supply more than one dwelling or premises, and § 18-522 bars resale of reclaimed water unless the town and the state approve.

The Town Council alone can grant a variance under § 18-509, and only on a finding that strict application would result in confiscation of the property. Fees for installation and rates come from the fee schedule in the annual budget ordinance.