Avondale, AZ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Avondale, AZ, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Code Section
- Avondale City Code sec. 24-34 (Waste of water prohibited)
- Approach
- Waste prohibition, not assigned watering days
- Broken sprinkler
- Spray from a broken head/emitter is waste
- Misdirected spray
- More than 10% off-target is waste
- Ponding threshold
- Cumulative surface area over 150 sq ft
Summary
Avondale does not assign fixed watering days. Instead, City Code section 24-34 prohibits the waste of water, including runoff, overflow, broken sprinkler heads, and emitters spraying more than ten percent of their flow off-target onto pavement, public property or the right-of-way.
Consumers shall prevent unnecessary waste of water and keep all water outlets closed when not in actual use. All water outlets ... shall not be left running for any purpose other than the use for which they were intended. ... 'waste of water' shall mean to use, consume or expend water in sufficient quantity and/or at such a rate that it overflows the basin or object into which it flows, including the landscaped area of any premises, or sprays from a permanently installed irrigation system with a broken head or emitter, or sprays more than ten (10) percent of the spray from a misdirected emitter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Avondale, part of the Phoenix Active Management Area, regulates outdoor water use through a waste-prohibition standard rather than a calendar watering schedule. City Code section 24-34 states that consumers shall prevent unnecessary waste of water and keep all water outlets closed when not in use. The ordinance defines 'waste of water' as using water at such a rate that it overflows the basin or landscaped area, sprays from a permanently installed irrigation system with a broken head or emitter, or sends more than ten percent of an emitter's spray off-target onto surrounding areas, public property, or the right-of-way (gutters, storm drains, ditches).
It is unlawful to willfully or negligently cause water waste where the overflow or spray causes erosion to public property or right-of-way, interferes with pedestrian or vehicle traffic, causes long-term damage from chronic wastefulness, ponds over a cumulative surface area greater than 150 square feet, or discharges at certain depths. The city also runs a Water Conservation program with xeriscape conversion rebates. Avondale holds a 100-year Designation of Assured Water Supply and has declared drought-response stages under its Drought Preparedness Plan.
Violations & Fines
A written notice and/or civil citation may be issued by the code compliance manager, a code compliance officer, the water conservation coordinator, a water conservation specialist, or the city manager or authorized designee for violating the water-waste ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Avondale tell me which days I can water?
Is a broken or misdirected sprinkler a violation?
Who enforces water-waste rules in Avondale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Avondale
How Avondale compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Avondale to another location·View the Arizona landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle water restrictions.