All irrigation must be accomplished prior to 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. Any one zone of a property may only be watered once during the allowable day, NOT both in the morning and again in the evening. The permitted days for watering are as charted below:

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Follow these rules for watering new lawns and landscaping. Note that all watering must be accomplished before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Turfgrass

Under the Severe Water Shortage declaration, the establishment period for new sod, plugs, and turfgrass is limited to a period of 30 calendar days. On days 1-15, beginning the day of installation, you may water any day of the week. On days 16-30, even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; odd-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Following this period, all turfgrass is considered established, and must follow the restrictions outlined above.

Landscaping (other than turfgrass)

the establishment period is limited to 60 calendar days. On days 1-30, beginning the day of installation, you may water any day of the week. On days 31-60, even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; odd-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Sprinkler System or Hand Water

New plant material must cover at least 50% of an irrigation zone in order to water with an in-ground sprinkler system during the initial establishment period. If not, the new plant material must be hand watered. (Example: If you purchased one flat of grass plugs to place throughout your front yard to fill in bare spots, this would not cover 50% of an irrigation zone. Hand watering would be required.) Even if you water by hand, you must follow the same guidelines for new lawn and landscaping establishment.

Also, only those zones containing 50% new plant material may be watered, not the entire yard. (Example: If you had your entire front yard re-sodded, but not your backyard, only those zones covering the front yard could be run during the establishment period. The backyard zones would have to remain on the regular watering schedule. Most irrigation timers have an A and B program. Program A can be set for the regular watering. Program B can be programmed for multiple days to only water those zones containing the new plant material during the establishment period. After the establishment period has ended, be certain to clear all information from Program B, as these irrigation controllers are notorious for resetting after a power outage or spike and running all programs at the same time, even if Program B is turned off.

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Low Volume Irrigation

Low volume irrigation of plant materials other than lawns and grass is allowed any day, however, you must water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. The use must not be wasteful and unnecessary.

Hand Watering

You may hand-water plant material other than lawns and grass on any day, as long as you do so before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. However, such use may not be wasteful and unnecessary. Hand watering of lawns and grass may only occur during the designated day and time for irrigation of established lawns and landscaping at that address. A hose-end sprinkler placed in the yard is not considered hand watering and is subject to the same restrictions as an in-ground sprinkler system.

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If chemicals such as pesticide, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are applied to your lawn or landscape plants by a hired professional, they can be watered in according to manufacturer's instructions within 24 to 48 hours of application. Applying water following a chemical treatment by a hired professional is allowable on your non-designated watering day provided a dated chemical advisory marker showing the date of chemical application is visible in the yard (usually by the mailbox). Also, restricted hours must still be followed (before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.)

If you wish to apply a chemical treatment to your lawn or landscape plants yourself, the application of water must be done on your designated watering day and time for your address.

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Washing of cars, trucks and other mobile equipment is allowed once a week. At a residential property, vehicle washing may occur on Tuesday or Saturday at addresses ending in even numbers, and Wednesday or Sunday at addresses ending in odd numbers. Low-volume methods must be used, such as fitting your hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.

Fund-raising car washes held on behalf of non-profit organizations are allowed, as long as water is used efficiently. Hoses must be fitted with an automatic shut-off nozzle at all times.

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Pressure washing of buildings or other structures in preparation for painting or other maintenance is allowed. Also allowed is the annual pressure washing of buildings, structures, driveways, sidewalks and other impervious surfaces as part of a planned maintenance program to either maintain a warranty or to prevent a “slip and fall” hazard. Washing or cleaning streets in preparation for a parade or other public event is allowed.

Other than these instances, washing or other water-based cleaning of streets and other impervious surfaces is allowed only to meet federal, state or local health and safety standards, such as required dust control.

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Fountains, waterfalls and other outdoor artistic water features are limited to operating four hours a day, and the operating hours shall be posted. If the water feature also provides a necessary water quality benefit, such as aerating a stormwater pond, it may be operated any hours as necessary.

Pools should be maintained in a way that minimizes the need for make-up water. This includes promptly repairing leaks, optimum scheduling of backwash filtration, and using shade or covers to reduce evaporation.

Residential and other non-commercial uses of water for recreational purposes should be reduced as much as possible. For example, a sprinkler or sprinkler-like device may be used only at the times normally allowed for lawn watering, and discharge only as much water as is horticulturally necessary for the lawn. A wading pool, “Slip ‘N Slide” or other child-oriented recreational device shall run off or be emptied onto a lawn or landscape that requires irrigation.

Irrigation System Maintenance

Irrigation systems may be operated during restricted days and/or times for cleaning and maintenance. Irrigation systems may be operated for such purposes no more than once per week, and testing the system cannot exceed a total of 10 minutes for the entire system. An attendant must be on site and visible throughout the entire cleaning and maintenance operation.

Automatic Rain Sensing Shut-off Device

All landscape irrigation systems must be equipped with a rain sensor device or switch that will override the irrigation cycle of the sprinkler system when adequate rainfall has occurred. This requirement applies to both new and older irrigation systems.