Water restrictions in Boulder County, CO — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Boulder County has no countywide watering-day schedule; outdoor watering rules are set by your local water provider (such as Longmont, Left Hand, or Northern Water districts). Colorado water law also governs wells and rainwater use.
There is no single Boulder County ordinance dictating lawn-watering days or times. Restrictions during drought are declared by individual municipal and special-district water suppliers that serve unincorporated areas, so residents should check their specific provider for even/odd or day-of-week limits and drought stages. Colorado's prior-appropriation water law limits how residents may capture or reuse water; state law does, however, allow limited residential rainwater collection (see rainwater harvesting). Well owners are limited to their permitted uses through the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Xeriscape and water-wise landscaping are strongly encouraged and protected under state HOA law.
Watering-restriction violations are enforced and fined by the water provider that declared them, not by the county; unpermitted water use can draw state Division of Water Resources action.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Boulder County's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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