Arlington County, VA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Arlington's water restrictions are not a standing seasonal schedule; they turn on two triggers defined in Chapter 38.1 of the County Code. First, the County Manager can declare a "water shortage condition" during unusually dry weather and issue voluntary restrictions or recommended conservation practices, including asking residents to cut back on watering shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, plants and other vegetation (§ 38.1-6). Second, if the County Board finds a genuine "water supply emergency", it adopts an ordinance declaring the emergency, and the County Manager is then authorized to promulgate written, mandatory water consumption restrictions or prohibitions (§ 38.1-11).

Those mandatory measures can bar watering of shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, plants or other vegetation; washing of cars, trucks and trailers outside recycling-equipped car washes; washing of streets, driveways and building exteriors; ornamental fountains; filling pools from below three-quarters full; free tap water in restaurants; fire hydrant use; and outdoor recreation use of water (§ 38.1-11(A)-(L)). Essential governmental, business and industrial uses can be exempted by the County Manager (§ 38.1-10), and an individual customer facing undue hardship may request a written waiver, granted only if the County Manager finds public health, safety and welfare will not be harmed (§ 38.1-14).

The County Manager must publish notice of any mandatory restriction, its effective date and the penalties for noncompliance in a newspaper of general circulation and post it at the County Manager's office (§ 38.1-13). A water shortage condition or emergency, and any restrictions issued under it, can be rescinded once the County Manager or County Board finds the water supply has stabilized (§§ 38.1-7, 38.1-12).