Evanston, IL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Evanston operates its own water utility, drawing water from Lake Michigan through two intake cribs. Under normal conditions there are no mandatory irrigation restrictions, but the city encourages voluntary conservation practices including watering lawns early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce evaporation, limiting watering to 1 inch per week, and using rain sensors on automatic irrigation systems. During drought conditions or when infrastructure demands require it, the city manager may declare mandatory water conservation stages. Stage 1 (voluntary) asks residents to limit outdoor watering. Stage 2 (mandatory) may impose an even-odd watering schedule based on address numbers, restrict watering hours, and prohibit certain uses like car washing with a running hose. Stage 3 (emergency) may ban all non-essential outdoor water use. Automatic irrigation systems are required to have rain sensors under the city's building code. New development and significant renovations may be required to incorporate water-efficient landscaping. The city promotes its rain barrel program and has distributed subsidized rain barrels to residents. Water rates are tiered to encourage conservation, with higher usage blocks paying a higher rate per unit.