Washington County, UT Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Washington County, UT, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Banned watering hours
- 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
- Season covered
- June 1 through September 1
- Water waste ban
- year-round, all seasons
- Controller required
- WaterSense smart/weather-based
- Pressure valve trigger
- static pressure over 90 psi
- Effective / amended
- 4-19-2022; amd. 3-19-2024
Summary
Washington County bans potable landscape watering between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day from June 1 through September 1 on new and rehabilitated development in the unincorporated county. The restriction pairs with a year-round ban on "water waste," including overwatering, runoff, and unrepaired irrigation leaks.
Landscape watering with potable (treated) water is prohibited from ten o’clock (10:00) a.m. to eight o’clock (8:00) p.m., from June 1 to September 1, to maximize irrigation efficiency.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
daily from June 1 to September 1, the summer window when daytime evaporation is highest. The rule sits inside the county's Irrigation Design Standards, which also require a WaterSense-labeled smart or weather-based controller with automatic rain shut-off and schedule memory on every covered irrigation system, and a pressure-regulating valve wherever static service pressure exceeds 90 psi. 13 separately and permanently bans "water waste," defined to include overwatering, irrigating during a rainstorm, water that sprays or runs off the property, ignoring drought restrictions, or failing to repair a leaking or malfunctioning irrigation system in a timely manner; that ban applies year-round, not just during the June-through-September window.
org: up to one watering day a week in winter, three sprinkler and two drip days a week in spring and fall, and up to four sprinkler and three drip days a week in summer. Each valve must irrigate only plants with matching water needs, grass, trees, and non-grass beds each need their own valve, and drip lines feeding non-grass areas must use emitters rated at 20 gallons per hour or less with a pressure-regulator filter. These irrigation standards apply to all new construction, new development, and rehabilitation of development in any zone under Chapter 27, adopted by Ordinance 2022-1206-O on April 19, 2022, and amended most recently by Ordinance 2024-1252-O, effective March 19, 2024.
Violations & Fines
Watering outside the permitted hours, or wasting water at any time of year under section 10-27-5.D.13, exposes a property owner to county code enforcement action; the chapter itself sets no separate fine, so an unresolved violation is prosecutable under the general penalty clause, section 1-4-1, as a class B misdemeanor with a fine up to the statutory maximum under Utah Code section 76-3-301 and up to six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can I run sprinklers in the summer?
Is there a watering-hours rule the rest of the year?
Do I have to install a smart sprinkler controller?
Does a leaking sprinkler line count as a violation even outside the summer ban hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
How Washington County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Washington County to another location·View the Utah landscaping rules overview
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