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In some instances, you may need a temporary source of water for a variety of uses. A non-permanent service connection requires a temporary/hydrant permit. 

There are two types of permits available: metered and estimated. Metered permits are only issued for long-term usage (6 months or longer). All other permits are estimated by Cleveland Water. Please note: Customers in suburban communities must also supply a copy of the approval letter from the fire chief of that suburb to use the hydrants.

Potential acceptable uses for a temporary/hydrant permit include:

  • Construction
  • Demolition/dust control
  • Landscaping and community gardens
  • Filling containers
  • Cleaning
  • Flushing
  • Mixing cement
  • Filling swimming pools or ponds

Filling Swimming Pools

Cleveland Water allows customers to fill a swimming pool by using a fire hydrant with the appropriate permit. The following procedure must be followed in order to obtain such a permit:

  • Obtain a letter of permission from your local fire department. If the permit is being requested in Cleveland, no fire department letter is required.
  • Submit the fire department letter and the number of gallons needed or the dimensions of the pool (i.e. length, width, and depth) to our Permits and Sales Department to apply for the permit.
  • We will sign off and make a copy for our file. You are responsible for making sure your local fire department has a copy of the signed letter and permit from Cleveland Water.
  • Once the above information has been submitted, you will be given a fee amount to pay before the permit is issued. You may also be responsible for obtaining your own fire hydrant hose, hydrant wrench, and independent gate valve to operate the hydrant.

There are no refunds on hydrant permits. This is stated on the permit form.

Note: Some pool contractors will tell their customers they can contact Cleveland Water with their meter reading before they fill their pool from their homes so that they can receive a discount on the sewer bill. This is not true. There is no break on the sewer bill if the pool is filled from their home unless their respective sewer district allows the installation of a sewer-exempt meter (deduct meter). In this case, no reads need to be called in ahead of time since all water will register on the sewer-exempt meter.

For more information about temporary/hydrant permits, please call 216-664-2444 or email us at PermitsandSales@clevelandwater.com.