Tampa, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Once a property connects to the city's reclaimed water system under Sec. 26-252, the customer takes on a specific list of prohibited uses spelled out in Sec. 26-256(a): reclaimed water cannot be used for anything prohibited by law, for human or animal consumption, for interconnecting with another water source, for recreation or play involving body contact, for use through potable water hose bibs, faucets or quick couplers, for filling swimming pools, or for augmenting lake or pond levels. Sec. 26-256(b) separately bars letting reclaimed water enter the interior of a building for toilet flushing or other household uses.

Irrigation of edible crops is regulated by type: under Sec. 26-256(c), crops that will not be peeled, skinned, cooked or thermally processed before eating must be irrigated by a method that precludes direct contact with the crop, such as drip, subsurface, or ridge-and-furrow irrigation; Sec. 26-256(d) allows direct contact for crops that will be peeled, skinned, cooked or thermally processed before consumption. Customers must also comply with Sec. 26-255's hose-connection rules, which limit each property to one hose connection assembly, forbid tampering with valves or fittings, and prohibit renting or sharing reclaimed water service with another party or premises.

The city can inspect connected devices under Sec. 26-254, and refusing entry to an authorized city agent is itself a violation that supports immediate discontinuance of service.