Water restrictions in Denver, CO — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Denver Water enforces mandatory outdoor watering restrictions May 1–Oct 1 yearly. Residential customers may water 2 days/week before 10 AM or after 6 PM. Stage 1 drought declared in 2025.
Denver Water imposes annual outdoor watering restrictions from May 1 through October 1. Residential single-family customers are limited to 2 assigned days per week: even-numbered addresses water Sunday and Thursday; odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and Saturday. Watering is only permitted before 10 AM or after 6 PM to reduce evaporation. Hand-watering of trees and shrubs is permitted any day outside the prohibited hours. Denver Water declared a Stage 1 drought in 2025 seeking a 20% voluntary reduction — the first such declaration since 2013. Wasting water (runoff onto pavement, broken sprinklers not repaired within 10 days) is a violation.
Water waste citations issued; repeat violators may face service restrictions and fines.
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See how Denver's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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