When does Phoenix require a separate water meter?

The section starts with the general rule: "All water service provided by the City public water system must be metered, except as otherwise provided by this chapter." Then it sets the trigger for a second meter: "A separate water meter is required for the following new services established after January 1, 1990:"

• "Landscape watering of all landscaped areas greater than 10,000 square feet."
• "All water features having a daily consumptive use of 1,000 gallons per day or greater."

The Water Services Design Standards Manual (2021) restates it as "a separate landscape irrigation tap and meter," so the requirement means a separate service connection, not just a second meter on the same pipe.

The manual adds rules of its own on separate service for each demand:

• "A combination of fire, domestic and landscape meters is prohibited. Each demand requires a separate service connection."
• A combined domestic and landscape meter is allowed, except for the landscape areas the code sends to a separate meter.
• A fire line and domestic service "cannot be combined except for qualified Adaptive Reuse projects as outlined in TRT00518."
• Mixed use developments, residential and commercial, "require a separate meter and separate onsite plumbing for each type of use."
• Master meters: one service line and a master meter can serve two or more buildings on the same lot. Those developments need a separate fire line connection, no more than two meters can be manifolded, and any submeters past the city meter stay private.

• New service: the code applies the separate meter rule to services established after January 1, 1990. The code does not say what happens to older combined services; reading it as covering only new services is a reading, not a stated exemption.
• Landscaped area: the code does not define it. The 10,000 square foot test is on the landscaped area being watered, not the lot size.
• Water feature: a fountain, pond or similar feature. The trigger is daily use of 1,000 gallons or more.
• Service connection: the tap and pipe from the city main to the meter. Each separately metered demand gets its own.

Owners and developers of commercial sites, multifamily communities, HOAs with common-area turf and anyone adding a large water feature on a new Phoenix service. It also covers mixed use buildings, where the residential and commercial parts each need their own meter and plumbing.

This does not apply to private submeters downstream of the city meter; the manual says those remain private and are the owner's responsibility.

• An HOA builds a new park. The common area has 22,000 square feet of turf and shrubs. That is over the line, so the plans show a separate irrigation tap and meter, and the irrigation side gets its own backflow assembly under Chapter 37.
• A small dental office adds planters. About 2,500 square feet of landscaping can share the domestic meter. The manual still suggests a business "consider a separate landscape meter beyond those required by City Code to reduce Development Occupational Fees (DOF) and wastewater treatment fee that can result from having a combined meter."
• A shopping center redesign adds a splash pad and fountain. If the feature's daily use reaches 1,000 gallons, the answer flips from shared to separate, even though the landscaping alone stayed under 10,000 square feet.

1. 1Measure the landscaped area that will be watered and estimate daily use for any water feature.
2. 2List every demand on the site: domestic, landscape, fire and any separate uses in a mixed use building.
3. 3Size each meter with the city's Water Meter Sizing Guideline (TRT 00142), which lists the maximum flow and fixture units for each meter size.
4. 4Show each service connection on the civil and plumbing plans submitted for review.
5. 5Budget the official meter fees: the PDD Fee Schedule (effective January 20, 2026) includes the first meter of each utility with the permit and charges $98 for each additional meter per utility.
6. 6Plan the backflow assembly for each irrigation service, as City Code Chapter 37 requires for the hazards it lists.

• "It's based on lot size." The code measures landscaped area over 10,000 square feet, plus water features by daily use.
• "One big meter is cheaper." The city's own manual says a combined meter can bring higher DOF and wastewater treatment fees for a business.
• "Fire water can ride on the domestic meter." Fire, domestic and landscape combinations are prohibited, and fire and domestic combine only for qualified Adaptive Reuse projects.
• "Submeters count as city meters." Submeters past the city meter are private and the owner's responsibility.