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Pasco County, FL Water Use Rules: Recycled Water Rules (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Allowed use
Irrigation only, unless director approves
Well setback
100 ft from reclaimed distribution lines
Potable well setback
75 ft from reuse sites
Chemical injection
Barred for single-family customers
Service cutoff
Immediate, no notice, for cross-connection

Summary

Pasco County heavily restricts its purple-pipe reclaimed water system under section 110-78: irrigation only, no tampering with county facilities, no cross-connections to potable lines, and new irrigation wells are barred within 100 feet of any reclaimed water main.

City-specific rules exist: New Port Richey has its own recycled water rules rules that differ from Pasco County's county-level regulations. If you live in New Port Richey, check the city-specific page instead.

Sec. 110-78 - Restrictions. Unless expressly authorized in writing by the county administrator, no individual or organization shall tamper with, work on or in any way alter or damage any county reclaimed water facility. ... The offending person shall be liable for the cost attributable to the correction of such tampering, including attorney's fees. ... The county shall prohibit the installation of new irrigation wells or the rehabilitation of existing irrigation wells where reclaimed water distribution facilities are within 100 feet of the proposed or existing wells. ... No party shall cause or allow his reclaimed water system to have any cross connections between two or more water supplies, any illegal connections or tie-ins or any discharge of reclaimed water into the public sewer system.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 94 Update 1 | Land Development Code: Supplement 20).

Full Breakdown

Section 110-78, the 'Restrictions' provision of Pasco County's Reclaimed Water System article (Chapter 110, Article III), locks down who may touch the county's purple-pipe reuse network and how it may be used. No individual or organization may tamper with, work on, or alter any county reclaimed water facility without the county administrator's written authorization; an offender is liable for the cost of correcting the tampering plus attorney's fees, and the county may sue for legal or equitable relief. To protect the separation between potable and reclaimed supplies, the county bars using potable water for irrigation through a second meter, and bars installing or rehabilitating an irrigation well, on any property within 100 feet of existing reclaimed water distribution facilities; it will not extend reclaimed service at all where shallow wells supply potable water or where the state's required buffer zone cannot be maintained, and it bars new shallow potable wells within 75 feet of a reuse site.

A single-family reclaimed water customer may not inject any chemical into the system; other users who need chemical injection must first install an approved cross-connection control assembly. The section also flatly bans any cross connection between two or more water supplies, any illegal tie-in, or discharge of reclaimed water into the public sewer, and prohibits subletting or renting use of the reclaimed system, connecting a temporary irrigation system, or installing any aboveground faucet or device that could let reclaimed water be used for anything but irrigation, unless the utilities director approves that use in writing. Section 110-77 backs this up physically, requiring purple-coded pipe and a minimum ten-foot separation between a reclaimed connection and any potable water meter.

Violations & Fines

Under section 110-78, tampering with a reclaimed water facility or creating an unauthorized cross-connection makes the offender liable for the county's correction costs and attorney's fees, and the county may seek an injunction to stop it, on top of any separate civil or criminal penalty that applies. Section 110-76 lets the county discontinue reclaimed water service outright, without prior written notice, for a cross-connection, tampering, nonpayment, or any violation of the article, and a customer can only be reconnected after paying past-due amounts and a reconnection fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I connect my own irrigation well near Pasco County's reclaimed water lines?
Not within 100 feet. Section 110-78 bars installing a new irrigation well, or rehabilitating an existing one, on any property within 100 feet of the county's reclaimed water distribution facilities, and it also won't extend reclaimed service where a shallow well supplies your potable water.
Can I use Pasco County's reclaimed water for anything besides irrigation?
Generally no. Section 110-78 prohibits any device, aboveground faucet, or connection that could let reclaimed water be used for a purpose other than irrigation, unless the utilities director approves that specific use in writing, and single-family customers may never inject chemicals into the system.
What happens if I tamper with a Pasco County reclaimed water line?
Section 110-78 makes you liable for the cost of correcting the damage plus the county's attorney's fees, and the county can sue for an injunction; section 110-76 also lets the county cut off reclaimed water service immediately, without advance notice, for tampering or an unauthorized cross-connection.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Pasco County

All Pasco County rules

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