Dearborn Heights, MI Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Dearborn Heights, MI, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Restricted season
- June 1 through October 1
- Odd addresses
- Sprinkle only on odd calendar days
- Even addresses
- Sprinkle only on even calendar days
- Hot-day curfew
- No sprinkling 7 a.m.-10 p.m. at 80°F+
- First-offense fine
- $250 municipal civil infraction (Class D)
Summary
From June 1 through October 1 each year, City Code Sec. 35-47 limits lawn and garden sprinkling in the City of Dearborn Heights to odd-numbered addresses on odd calendar days and even-numbered addresses on even days. Whenever the official forecast predicts 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, sprinkling is also banned between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Sprinkling means the watering, sprinkling, soaking, or running of water from the city water system upon lawns, gardens, turf, shrubs and trees. ... (a)It shall be unlawful to sprinkle in the city from June first to October first, inclusive in any year, except as follows:(1)Properties bearing an odd house number on the odd calendar days of the month, such as first, third, fifth, etc.;(2)Properties bearing an even house number on the even calendar days of the month such as second, fourth, sixth, etc.(b)In addition to the foregoing restrictions, whenever the official weather forecast for any day shall predict a maximum daily temperature of eighty (80) degrees Fahrenheit or more, it shall be unlawful to sprinkle between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 35-46 defines sprinkling broadly as watering, sprinkling, soaking, or running city water onto lawns, gardens, turf, shrubs, and trees, so the restriction in Sec. 35-47 reaches ordinary lawn irrigation and hose-end watering alike. During the June 1 to October 1 season, Sec. 35-47(a) confines sprinkling to an odd/even schedule tied to house number: odd-numbered addresses may only sprinkle on odd calendar days (the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and so on), and even-numbered addresses only on even days. Sec. 35-47(b) layers a temperature-based curfew on top of the day restriction: whenever the official U.S.
Weather Bureau forecast for Detroit and vicinity predicts a maximum daily temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or more, sprinkling is unlawful between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, regardless of which day it otherwise would have been allowed. The rule sits in the water conservation division of the water and sewers chapter alongside Sec. 35-48, which separately requires air conditioning and mechanical cooling systems to run no more than 10 degrees below the outdoor temperature, showing the same summer demand-management purpose. There is no exception in the text for new sod, drought conditions, or automatic irrigation timers, so any city-water sprinkling system, whether a hose or an installed irrigation system, must follow both the odd/even calendar and the hot-day curfew.
Violations & Fines
A sprinkling violation falls under Chapter 35's Class D civil infraction schedule in Sec. 1-11: $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second within a year, and $1,000 for a third or later offense, plus court costs. Each day of unauthorized sprinkling is treated as a separate offense under the city's general civil infraction rules, so repeated summer violations escalate quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Dearborn Heights?
Can I still be fined for sprinkling on my correct day?
What is the penalty for violating the sprinkling schedule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn Heights
How Dearborn Heights compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Dearborn Heights to another location·View the Michigan landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle water restrictions.