Water restrictions in Durham County, NC — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Durham enforces a year-round odd/even irrigation ordinance and can impose tighter water-shortage stages. As of June 2026 Durham is in Stage 2, which bans spray irrigation of landscapes with city water.
Durham's Water Efficiency Ordinance sets a mandatory year-round odd/even outdoor watering schedule: odd-numbered addresses may spray-irrigate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, even-numbered on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with no irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. New in-ground irrigation systems must have working rain or soil-moisture sensors. During declared shortages Durham escalates through four stages; under the Stage 2 Water Shortage Response effective June 15, 2026, spray irrigation of landscapes with city water is prohibited entirely, though drip irrigation, hand watering and tree/shrub watering bags remain allowed. Large users over 100,000 gallons per day are asked to cut use 30%. Check Durham Saves Water for the current stage before watering.
Enforcement escalates from a warning to a notice of violation, then $100 and $250 fines, and ultimately water-service disconnection for repeat violations.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
durham-county-nc
Durham County parks run seasonal daytime hours, not 24-hour access. Little River Regional Park, the county's flagship, opens at 8 a.m. and closes between 5 a...
durham-county-nc
Durham's UDO limits light crossing onto neighbors. Illumination at a property line next to a residential district may not exceed 0.5 foot-candles, and lighti...
durham-county-nc
Durham's UDO caps outdoor light-fixture height and spillover. Fixtures near homes are limited to 15 feet above grade within 50 feet of a residential property...
durham-county-nc
Durham's UDO allows a yard sale sign without a permit. It may not exceed four square feet in area, is limited to one per lot, and may be put up two weeks bef...
durham-county-nc
North Carolina law lets political signs sit in the right-of-way of most roads during an election window. Under NCGS 136-32, a sign may be no larger than 864 ...
durham-county-nc
Durham has no separate tiny-home category. A site-built tiny house is regulated as a dwelling or accessory dwelling under the UDO and North Carolina Resident...
See how Durham County's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.