Water restrictions in Columbus, OH — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Columbus Division of Water and most Franklin County suburbs have no routine outdoor watering schedule thanks to abundant surface water from the Scioto, Olentangy, and Alum Creek reservoirs. Voluntary conservation advisories may be issued during summer drought; mandatory restrictions under Columbus City Code 1105 have not been invoked in recent years.
Columbus Division of Water serves over 1.2 million people in Franklin County and surrounding counties from three reservoir systems (Hoover, Griggs, O'Shaughnessy) plus the Big Walnut treatment plant. Supply is generally reliable and outdoor watering is unrestricted year-round. Columbus City Code Section 1105 authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to declare water emergencies and impose mandatory odd-even watering or outright outdoor-use bans, but this authority has rarely been used. Suburban communities receiving Columbus water operate under the same framework. Independent water systems in parts of Franklin County (Westerville, Worthington with supplemental supplies) similarly have no standing restrictions. Rainwater-use and greywater are unregulated for residential outdoor irrigation.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Franklin County.
See how other cities in Franklin County handle water restrictions.
See how Columbus's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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