Gilbert, AZ Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)

Section 66-356 of the Code of Gilbert, part of the Article VIII water conservation rules, ties large turf areas to the town's reclaimed-water system rather than its potable supply. Except for artificial lakes on town-owned property, every artificial lake built in Gilbert after October 8, 1996 must be filled with reclaimed water, and every turf-related facility of five acres or larger created after that date must be watered with reclaimed water. If reclaimed water isn't yet available to the site, the facility may draw from another source only until reclaimed water is delivered.

Section 66-351 defines a turf-related facility as a school, park, cemetery, golf course, industrial park or common area of a housing development that applies water -- from any source, including reclaimed water -- to ten or more acres of water-intensive landscaped area, so the reclaimed-water mandate targets HOA common areas, courses and campuses, not typical residential yards. The section carves out limited exceptions: a large untreated-water provider may still deliver untreated water through its own separate, non-potable distribution system, and an irrigation district may deliver untreated water to a subdivision's turf-related facility if the subdivision sits in the district's service area, the delivery runs through a system the town doesn't own or operate, the district secures an Arizona Department of Water Resources letter on assured-water-supply attribution, and the facility's owner signs a council-approved agreement taking responsibility for future reclaimed-water needs. The code compliance officer enforces Article VIII under § 66-353.