Drain rules guide

Pool Draining Rules in Phoenix-Area Cities

Free matching service for homeowners · We connect you with independent, licensed local pool resurfacing companies · We don't do the work ourselves

Pool draining rules in the Phoenix area agree on the big picture: keep pool water on your own property or send it slowly to your home's sewer cleanout, and keep it out of the street. The details differ. Most cities that publish a number recommend about 12 gallons per minute to the cleanout, while Scottsdale's rule of thumb is 50. Goodyear wants a free drain authorization first, Tempe requires a permit over 35,000 gallons, and Mesa bans replaster wastewater from every drain. Compare all 13 cities below.

13 Valley cities in one table
Flow limits, permits and street rules
Linked to each official source
Free quotes from licensed local pros

1Tell us what you need. Answer a few quick questions. It takes about 30 seconds.
2Get matched. We share your request with up to 5 licensed, insured local pool resurfacing companies.
3Compare and decide. Compare quotes from the companies that reach out and decide what's right for you. No obligation.

Get matched with up to 5 pool resurfacing pros

Free, no obligation. Takes about 30 seconds.

What do you need? First name Phone ZIP code

Add email or project details (optional)

Email (optional) Details (optional)

100% free for homeowners. No obligation. We share your request with up to 5 licensed local companies that serve your ZIP code, and they may contact you by phone, text or email. Some areas have fewer. Prefer not to get calls or texts? Email hello@poolresurfacingconnect.com instead.

Pool draining rules by city: comparison table

This table sums up what each city's official page says about draining a pool. Click a city name for our full local guide, or the source link to read the rule yourself.

Pool draining rules in 13 Phoenix-area cities (checked October 2026)
City	Where water may go	Flow limit	Permit	Notes	Official source
Phoenix	Landscape (not salt-sensitive plants) or home sewer cleanout. Not the street, alley or other city right of way.	Max recommended 12 gal/min (720 gal/hr) to the cleanout	None described for yard or cleanout. Homes with no cleanout (e.g. septic) need a permit for right-of-way discharge.	Permit discharge must be clean, under 1 ppm chlorine and under 50 gal/min; no backwash or saltwater; never alleys.	phoenix.gov pool information
Mesa	Yard or landscape on your lot, or the sewer cleanout on your property. Not streets, catch basins, curbs or gutters.	About 12 gal/min; a pump near 700 gal/hr	No permit or notice for yard or cleanout	Acid-wash and replaster wastewater can't go to the storm drain or the sewer. Narrow storm-drain exception under the state De Minimis permit. Wait 3–7 days after treatments.	mesaaz.gov drain or backwash
Gilbert	1) Yard or property (preferred), 2) sanitary sewer cleanout, 3) curb and gutter under the town's conditions	Not stated in the page text	No permit, but town guidelines must be followed; HOA rules may also apply	Filter rinse water can't enter the gutter or roadway. No utility bill credit for draining or refilling.	gilbertaz.gov pool draining
Chandler	Your landscape (best) or the sanitary sewer cleanout closest to the home	At or below about 12 gal/min	No permit for landscape or cleanout; no notice needed to refill	Hard-plumbed discharge off the property is prohibited. With no cleanout, you can request an exception to drain to the street. Wall-mounted cleanouts carry more backup risk.	chandleraz.gov pool drainage
Scottsdale	Yard or desert landscaping, kept on your property; sewer cleanout for more than the landscape can absorb. Never the street.	Rule of thumb: no more than 50 gal/min	Not addressed on the city page we reviewed	Homes over 20 years old may lack a cleanout and the city has no records of private cleanouts. Sewer charges use December–February water use. The page notes it may be out of date.	scottsdaleaz.gov draining your pool
Tempe	Landscape irrigation (preferred), sewer cleanout, or street/right of way only if clear and dechlorinated. Not alleys.	At or below 12 gal/min to the cleanout; pump 1.5 hp or less	Pools under 35,000 gallons: none. Over 35,000 gallons: permit required.	Street water must test at zero chlorine. Filter backwash only to the cleanout or your own property.	tempe.gov draining guidelines (PDF)
Glendale	Your yard or sewer clean-out only. Not rights of way, alleys or storm drains.	Not stated in the page text	Not addressed in the article we reviewed	The city links a pool drain brochure and best-practices guide we couldn't retrieve.	GlendaleOne: drain & backwash pool
Peoria	Full drains and large backwashes to the sanitary sewer port. Never the street; backwash must stay on your lot.	Not found (the city's drain PDF couldn't be retrieved)	Not addressed on the pages we reviewed	Small backwashes can water salt-tolerant plants. Stormwater goes to the environment untreated.	peoriaaz.gov code violations
Queen Creek	Lawn and landscape on your lot; sewer cleanout only for homes on public sewer. Not neighbors' yards or town right of way.	Not stated in what we reviewed	Not addressed in what we reviewed	Never drain into a septic tank. The town's policy lists three discharge options we didn't review in full.	queencreekaz.gov pool draining policy
San Tan Valley	No official town page found	No official guidance found	No official guidance found	Incorporated September 17, 2025. Many homes get sewer from EPCOR's San Tan district; ask your provider and HOA.	No town page found (AZ League town info)
Surprise	Your yard if it absorbs the water without flooding neighbors or running off; full drains to the sanitary sewer. Not the street, curb, sidewalk or neighbors' yards.	Max recommended 12 gal/min to the sewer	Not mentioned in the city guide we reviewed	Shut off filter power and auto-fill first. Never drain to septic. Backwash never to streets, sidewalks or retention basins; rinse cartridges in a sink, tub or over lawn; DE and cellulose filters need a separation tank.	City of Surprise drain guide (PDF)
Goodyear	On your property or the sanitary sewer cleanout on your property. Not streets, alleys or rights of way.	Max recommended 12 gal/min; pump about 700 gal/hr	Free Pool Drain Authorization required for Goodyear Water & Sewer customers (24–48 business hours; expires 20 days after approval)	Discharge pH 5.5–9.0. Wall-mounted cleanouts risk backups. No permanent drain lines. Sewer charges are based on January–March billing.	goodyearaz.gov drain authorization
Buckeye	Landscape irrigation encouraged; excess to your home's sewer cleanout if done properly. Not the street or directly into a sewer manhole.	Not stated on the page we reviewed	Not mentioned on the page we reviewed	City code applies to homes, businesses and HOAs. Homeowners may be liable for sewer backups. The city has no records of private cleanout locations.	buckeyeaz.gov wastewater services

Summaries of official city and town pages, the same sources cited on our city pages. "Not stated" or "not addressed" means the page we reviewed didn't say, not that no rule exists. Rules change, so check the source and your HOA before you drain.

How we researched this: every rule in this guide comes from the official city or town page linked in the table, the same sources our city pages cite. We didn't fill gaps with guesses: where a city's page doesn't say something, the table says so. Read how we research and check our guides.

What every Phoenix-area city agrees on

Across the cities with published guidance, three rules repeat. First, your own landscape is the preferred place for pool water, as long as it soaks in and stays on your lot. Second, the home's sanitary sewer cleanout is the route for a full drain, which is what resurfacing needs. Third, the street, alley and storm drain are off limits, or allowed only under narrow conditions.

Why the street ban? Storm drains in the Valley don't go to a treatment plant. Peoria notes that anything sent into its stormwater system goes directly to the environment, which is why chlorinated or salty pool water isn't welcome there.

Salt is the other shared concern. Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Queen Creek and Goodyear all warn that pool water is hard on salt-sensitive plants. Phoenix and Goodyear name citrus and hibiscus; Scottsdale lists fruit trees, star jasmine, roses, jojoba and hibiscus.

Sewer cleanout flow limits compared

Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler and Tempe point to about 12 gallons per minute when pumping to a sewer cleanout. Scottsdale's rule of thumb is up to 50 gallons per minute. Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria and Queen Creek don't publish a rate in the pages we reviewed.

Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Goodyear and Surprise all point to about 12 gallons per minute. At that rate a pump moves about 720 gallons an hour, which is the figure Phoenix uses. Phoenix, Mesa and Goodyear suggest a rented submersible pump around 700 gallons per hour, and Tempe caps the pump at 1.5 horsepower. A slow rate protects your home's sewer line: Phoenix, Chandler, Tempe and Goodyear all say to check for backups right after starting, and Buckeye warns that homeowners may be liable for backup damage.

If your city doesn't publish a number, the conservative choice is to pump slowly and watch indoor drains. Your contractor sets up the pump, so ask what rate they plan to use.

Do you need a permit to drain a pool?

For most Valley homes, no permit is needed, with one notable exception in the West Valley. Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert say no permit is needed to drain to your yard or cleanout, though Gilbert still expects you to follow its guidelines. Phoenix describes no permit for those routes either.

The exceptions are specific:

Goodyear: Goodyear Water & Sewer customers must submit a free Pool Drain Authorization Application through GOODYEAR311 before draining. Approval may take 24 to 48 business hours, and it expires 20 days after approval.
Tempe: pools over 35,000 gallons need a permit from a Tempe Environmental Compliance Inspector. Smaller pools don't.
Phoenix: homes without a sewer cleanout, such as homes on septic, need a permit to discharge to the right of way, with chlorine under 1 ppm and flow under 50 gallons per minute.
Chandler: if you truly can't find a cleanout, you can request an exception to drain to the street.

Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Queen Creek, Surprise and Buckeye don't address permits in the pages we reviewed. That doesn't mean one is never needed, so check with the city if your situation is unusual, such as a very large pool or no cleanout.

Special cases: replaster wastewater, backwash and septic

Replastering and acid-wash wastewater (Mesa)

Mesa is the only city in our list that spells out a rule for pool repair water: wastewater from acid washing or replastering can't go to the storm sewer or the sanitary sewer. That's separate from draining clean pool water, and it means a Mesa contractor needs a plan to capture and dispose of it. Ask about it in every Mesa quote.

Filter backwash

Several cities treat backwash more strictly than clean pool water. Tempe allows it only to the cleanout or your own property, Gilbert says filter rinse water must not enter the gutter or roadway, Peoria requires it to stay on your lot, and Phoenix bans backwash from right-of-way discharge even with a permit. Surprise goes furthest: backwash can never go to a street, sidewalk or retention basin, cartridge filters should be rinsed in a sink, tub or over lawn, and DE or cellulose filters need a separation tank.

Homes on septic

Queen Creek warns that emptying pool water into a septic tank could cause expensive damage, Surprise says it may cause the system to fail, and recommends the cleanout method only for homes on public sewer. Phoenix's right-of-way permit exists for homes without a cleanout. If you're on septic anywhere in the Valley, tell your contractor up front.

Refilling after resurfacing: what cities say about your bill

A new finish has to be refilled right away, and a full refill is a big jump in water use. Five cities say something about it:

Phoenix: refilling during the January through March billing cycles costs less than refilling when water rates are higher. Any major increase in use can affect the sewer fee recalculated in July, and the city offers a Sewer Fee Review through MyPHX311.
Scottsdale: sewer charges are based on December through February water use. A refill in those months can be covered by a Sewer Charge Adjustment Request, due by August 31.
Goodyear: sewer charges are based on water use billed January through March, and the city suggests avoiding a refill from about December through March, depending on your billing cycle.
Chandler: no notice is needed to refill, and there are no refill discounts.
Gilbert: no utility bill credit for draining or refilling.

For what draining and refilling add to a resurfacing budget, see the pool resurfacing cost guide.

Where we couldn't find an official page

San Tan Valley became a town on September 17, 2025, and we found no published town page on pool draining yet. Many homes there get sewer service from EPCOR's San Tan district, formerly Johnson Utilities, so ask your sewer provider, the town and your HOA before draining.

Glendale and Peoria have official guidance, but the flow-rate details sit in brochures and PDFs we couldn't retrieve, so the table leaves those cells blank rather than guessing. Queen Creek publishes a policy with three discharge options that we haven't summarized in full. If your city's page is unclear, its water or environmental department can confirm.

Buckeye has an official page, but it gives no flow rate and doesn't mention a permit, so those cells say "not stated". Surprise's guide is a city brochure; we didn't find a separate permit rule on the city's website.

How to plan the drain with your contractor

Confirm whether your home is on public sewer or septic, and where the cleanout is. Scottsdale notes older homes may not have one.
Ask what pump and flow rate the contractor will use, and who watches for backups.
In Goodyear, file the free Pool Drain Authorization Application a couple of business days ahead, and drain within 20 days of approval.
In Mesa, ask how acid-wash and replaster wastewater will be captured and disposed of.
In Tempe, estimate the pool's gallons; over 35,000 needs a permit.
Check your HOA's rules as well as the city's.
Plan the refill month and keep the water bill if your city offers a sewer adjustment.

We only send requests to companies that give us an active Arizona ROC license number and proof of liability insurance. Ready to start? Get a quote for pool resurfacing in Phoenix and the surrounding Valley, or browse every Phoenix-area location.

Want a licensed company to handle the drain and refill under your city's rules? Get a free quote.

Get My Free Quotes

More drain and cost resources

LocationsPool resurfacing pages for every Phoenix-area city we serve, with local drain rules and costs.PhoenixPhoenix logistics: where to drain, cleanout limits, right-of-way permits, refill timing and sewer fees.MesaCosts, Mesa drain rules and why replastering wastewater needs a plan in Mesa.Cost GuideTypical Phoenix-area price ranges for plaster, quartz, pebble, tile and remodels, with sources.

Frequently asked questions

Which Phoenix-area cities let you drain a pool into the street?

Only under narrow conditions. Tempe allows street or right-of-way discharge if the water is clear and dechlorinated to zero, Gilbert lists curb and gutter as a third option under its conditions, and Chandler lets you request an exception if you can't find a cleanout. Phoenix requires a permit for homes without a cleanout. Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Goodyear and Buckeye say no street discharge.

How fast can I pump pool water into a sewer cleanout in the Valley?

Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Goodyear and Surprise point to about 12 gallons per minute, roughly 720 gallons an hour. Scottsdale's rule of thumb is up to 50 gallons per minute. Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Queen Creek and Buckeye don't list a rate in the pages we reviewed, so pump slowly and check tubs and showers for backups when you start.

Which Phoenix-area cities require a permit or approval to drain a pool?

Goodyear is the strictest: its water and sewer customers must get a free Pool Drain Authorization before every drain. Tempe requires a permit for pools over 35,000 gallons, and Phoenix requires one only for homes without a sewer cleanout that need to discharge to the right of way. Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert say no permit is needed for yard or cleanout draining.

Can replastering water go down the sewer?

Not in Mesa. The city says wastewater from pool repairs, such as acid washing and replastering, isn't allowed in either the storm sewer or the sanitary sewer. That rule is separate from draining clean pool water, which can go to the cleanout. Other cities in our list don't address repair wastewater directly, so ask your contractor how they handle it.

What if my home doesn't have a sewer cleanout?

It depends on the city. Phoenix offers a right-of-way permit for homes without one, Chandler lets you request an exception to drain to the street, and Scottsdale recommends a licensed plumber because older homes may lack a cleanout. Never drain into a septic tank; Queen Creek and Surprise both warn against it.

Do I need to tell my city before I refill my pool?

Usually not. Chandler says no notice is needed, though Goodyear's drain authorization comes before the drain. Billing is the bigger issue: Phoenix offers a MyPHX311 Sewer Fee Review after a large jump in water use and names January through March as cheaper months to refill, and Scottsdale accepts a Sewer Charge Adjustment Request by August 31 for refills from December through February.

Phoenix-area cities we serve

Ready to get started?

Tell us what you need, and we'll share your request with up to 5 licensed local pool resurfacing companies that serve your area. Free, with no obligation.

Get My Free Quotes

Sources

Last updated October 2026.