Barrow County, GA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Barrow County, GA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Allowed watering hours
- 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.
- Enforcing agency
- Barrow County Sheriff's Office
- Governing section
- Barrow County Code § 90-87
- Adopted
- Ordinance of December 14, 2010
- New plantings exemption
- 30 days after installation
Summary
Unincorporated Barrow County only allows outdoor watering of lawns, trees, shrubs and other landscape plants between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. Barrow County Code § 90-87 exempts drip irrigation, hand-watering with an automatic shutoff, private well or surface water use, new plantings during their first 30 days, and several agricultural and reclaimed-water uses from the daytime ban.
(1)Outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants in the unincorporated area may occur only between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. ... (2)Enforcement.(a)No person shall use or allow the use of water in violation of the restrictions on outdoor water use contained in ordinance.(b)The Barrow County Sheriff's Office shall be the enforcement authority for this ordinance.
Full Breakdown
m. 2; use of reclaimed wastewater from a Georgia EPD-permitted system; watering a personal food garden; watering new or replanted turf, plants or seed for 30 days after installation; drip irrigation or soaker hoses; hand-watering with a hose that has an automatic cutoff or a handheld container; use of water drawn from a private well or surface water on the same property; watering horticultural crops held for sale; watering athletic fields, golf courses or public turf recreational areas; installing, maintaining or calibrating irrigation systems; and hydroseeding.
The Barrow County Sheriff's Office is designated the enforcement authority, though the section allows the sheriff to authorize other county departments to assist. Enforcement runs through a citation or accusation in Magistrate Court rather than an administrative notice-of-violation process, and the section does not set a specific fine amount, leaving that to the general Magistrate Court penalty framework for county ordinance violations.
Violations & Fines
Watering a lawn or landscape bed outside the 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. window, without qualifying for one of the section's listed exemptions, is a violation the Barrow County Sheriff's Office can cite. Barrow County Code § 90-87(2) authorizes enforcement by citation or accusation returnable to Magistrate Court, and other county departments may be authorized to assist the Sheriff's Office in identifying violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
When am I allowed to water my lawn in unincorporated Barrow County?
Can I hand-water my flower beds anytime?
Who enforces the watering-hours restriction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Barrow County
How Barrow County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Barrow County to another location·View the Georgia landscaping rules overview
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