Corvallis, OR Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Corvallis regulates water waste, not a fixed lawn-watering calendar, through Chapter 3.01 of the Municipal Code. Section 3.01.250 lets the water utility discontinue service to a premises where water is being wastefully or negligently used if the customer does not correct the condition within five days after written notice. Beyond ordinary waste enforcement, Section 3.01.251 authorizes the Public Works Director to declare a water emergency by written order and impose whatever use or consumption limits the circumstances require, with the utility giving the public as much notice as is practicable; a deficiency in that notice does not invalidate the order.

Section 3.01.252 then makes it unlawful for any person to use water contrary to the limits set in an active emergency order, and treats each noncompliant use as a separate violation punishable under Section 3.01.310. Cross connections between the City system and any private water source are separately barred under Section 3.01.240, and an unapproved connection triggers an immediate shutoff without notice until the customer proves the connection has been permanently severed. Because Corvallis enforces waste and emergency-order compliance rather than a standing watering schedule, a household's exposure depends on whether the utility has issued a personal waste notice or the Public Works Director has declared a citywide emergency; absent either, ordinary irrigation use is not separately capped by Chapter 3.01.