Chandler, AZ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Chandler's landscape watering limits are not standing, year-round rules, they switch on only when the City Council adopts a resolution declaring a Stage Four Drought, per Code Chapter 52, Article V (§ 52-40). The Public Works and Utilities Director must first determine there is a significant possibility the City's water supply will not meet next year's demand and that the City is unlikely to be able to deliver sufficient water to all users; only then can Council declare the stage. Once declared and for as long as it remains in effect, Subsection A restricts "lawn, tree and shrub watering" to once per week, with the City Manager assigning the specific watering days to all users of City potable water.

m. The same regulations also shut off two related uses entirely: Subsection C prohibits outdoor water features run on City potable water, and Subsection D prohibits outdoor water misters. Subsection E limits vehicle washing to commercial facilities or a pail-and-hose setup fitted with a shutoff nozzle, and Subsection F bars overseeding winter grass on City parks and facilities. Under § 52-41, a resident who needs relief, for documented health or safety reasons, can apply in writing to the Public Works and Utilities Department for a variance, granted at the City Manager's or a designee's discretion.

Section 52-42 puts notification of an active Stage Four Drought and its mandatory water rules on the City's Communications & Public Affairs Department, which must publicize the restrictions through available media. The regulations were adopted by Ordinance No. 3498 in 2003 and last amended by Ordinance No. 4802 in 2018.