Water restrictions in Yellowstone County, MT — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Unincorporated Yellowstone County imposes no standing lawn-watering rule. The City of Billings enacts temporary Stage 1 restrictions during peak demand, typically banning lawn watering all day on Mondays; well-water users are exempt.
Water restrictions in this area are set by the water utility, not by a county landscaping ordinance. The City of Billings Public Works may declare Stage 1 water restrictions during hot, dry stretches when the treatment plant nears capacity. Under Stage 1, lawn watering is prohibited on Mondays from midnight to 11:59 p.m. for residential, commercial, and government property; properties on well water are excluded. In the west-end area, a targeted schedule has even-numbered homes water 9 p.m.-1 a.m. and odd-numbered homes 1 a.m.-5 a.m. These measures are seasonal and lifted when supply eases; rural residents on private wells are generally unaffected.
Watering on a restricted day during a declared Stage 1 order can bring warnings or utility enforcement from Billings Public Works. There is no county-level penalty for outdoor watering in unincorporated areas.
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See how Yellowstone County's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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