Tracy, CA Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage area
- Citywide (all of Tracy is designated)
- Connect window
- 60 days once main is within 200 ft
- Alt-supply ban
- Public nuisance if avoidable
- Backflow testing
- Inspected quarterly, tested annually
- Appeal
- To City Manager under sec. 1.12.010
Summary
Tracy requires premises within 200 feet of a completed recycled water main, and every new subdivision in the citywide designated recycled water use area, to connect to and use the City's recycled water system for common-area irrigation and industrial cooling, under Municipal Code sections 11.30.030 and 11.30.040, with keeping an alternate non-potable supply declared a public nuisance.
(a)Duty to connect. Unless an exception applies under section 11.30.080, each person owning or using any premises within the City limits and upon or in which any recycled water supply is produced or used is required to make an application to connect to the recycled water distribution system. If the application is approved, the City will issue a recycled water use permit and the user shall connect the premises to the City recycled water system within sixty (60) days after the date when a City recycled water main located within 200 feet is completed and available for connection to the premises. ... (c)Prohibition. No person owning or using any premises within the City limits shall maintain on the premises a non-potable water supply other than a recycled water supply from the City water system, or an untreated surface water supply as described in [subsection] 11.30.080(b), when the premises are located within 200 feet from the point at which a connection can be made to the City recycled water mains. The further maintenance or use of another non-potable water supply on any premises constitutes a public nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
030(b) requires any subdivision needing a tentative or parcel map under Government Code section 66426 to install a recycled water distribution system serving its common areas, such as parks, greenbelts, landscaped medians and streets, plus any industrial cooling or processing uses. 040(a) then imposes a duty to connect: once a City recycled water main within 200 feet of the premises is complete and available, the owner or user must apply for a recycled water use permit and connect within 60 days. 080(b), once a connection is available within that 200-foot radius, expressly declaring continued use of that alternate supply a public nuisance.
060 requires each connected user to designate a site supervisor, maintain and quarterly inspect any required backflow prevention device with results submitted annually, and let the City inspect the on-site system during normal working hours or anytime in an emergency. 080(a) for tentative maps or subdivisions approved before February 6, 2002, and for owners who show the Director that a higher-value use, uneconomical cost, or technical infeasibility applies.
Violations & Fines
Under section 11.30.070, the Director of Public Works can terminate recycled water service to any user who violates the connection duty or the recycled water use permit, either after a written warning and a 15-day correction window or, for repeat violations, without further notice. A denied exemption under section 11.30.080(a) can be appealed to the City Manager within the time set by section 1.12.010 of the Tracy Municipal Code, per section 11.30.090.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to connect my property to Tracy's recycled water system?
Can I keep using well water or another non-potable source instead?
Is there any way to get out of the connection requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
California rules heatmap·Compare Tracy to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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