SearchWhat the rule says
21 CFR Part 112 applies agricultural-water requirements to water used or intended for growing, harvesting, packing, or holding covered produce; the exact duties depend on the covered activity and the water system under the farm's control.
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Official sources
Important conditions, exceptions, and duties
Coverage triggerSection 112.40 says Subpart E applies to agricultural water used for, or intended for use in, growing, harvesting, packing, or holding covered produce. 21 CFR 112.40
Water qualitySection 112.41 requires agricultural water to be safe and of adequate sanitary quality for its intended use. 21 CFR 112.41
System reviewSection 112.42 requires inspection of agricultural-water systems, to the extent they are under the farm's control, at the beginning of a growing season as appropriate but at least annually. 21 CFR 112.42
RecordsSection 112.50 requires records required under Subpart E, including records tied to agricultural-water system inspection, maintenance, and treatment where those provisions apply. 21 CFR 112.50
What this source does not answer
- The cited federal sources do not decide State, Tribal, territorial, or local water requirements.
- Applicability still depends on the produce, activity, water use, exclusions, and facts of the operation.
- This guide does not turn a source's silence into a conclusion that water testing or treatment is unnecessary.
What to check next
- List each crop and the growing, harvesting, packing, or holding step where water is used; compare that use with 21 CFR 112.40.
- Identify each water source and the portions of the system under the farm's control before checking the applicable inspection, testing, treatment, and records provisions.
- Ask the responsible produce-safety office which current agricultural-water provisions and compliance dates apply to those facts.
- Check State, Tribal, territorial, and local water rules separately; do not treat a missing requirement in this summary as an exemption.