Surprise, AZ Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Section 58-247 sets two triggers for mandatory nonpotable irrigation: a landscaped area of one-tenth of an acre or more that sits within one-half mile of the city's nonpotable irrigation distribution line, or an area of any size within 200 feet of that line or of another area already required to use nonpotable water. Single-family residential lots are carved out of the mandate entirely under § 58-247(b), even if they meet those distance thresholds. Anyone who does use nonpotable water pays a separate fee set by city council resolution, and every nonpotable water user must obtain a Type 2 Reclaimed Water General Permit for Direct Reuse of Class A+ Reclaimed Wastewater and sign a user agreement with the city describing the approved use.

Where reclaimed water is not yet available to a site but is planned, the on-site system still has to be built as a reclaimed system and must get Approval to Construct and Approval of Construction from the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department; failing to secure those county approvals under § 58-248(b) results in the city denying water service to the project. Under § 58-248(a), the person required to use nonpotable water, not the city, has to finance, design, construct, and install the nonpotable lines and irrigation system and all appurtenances connecting to the city's distribution line, though the city installs the meter itself. Existing groundwater wells used for irrigation are reviewed case by case rather than automatically approved under § 58-247(h).