Greenville County, SC Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

There is no general-purpose Greenville County, South Carolina outdoor watering ordinance. Water service in the county is provided primarily by Greenville Water (a commission of public works that serves more than 750,000 residents across Greenville County and portions of Anderson, Pickens, and Laurens counties from three source reservoirs: Table Rock Reservoir, North Saluda Reservoir, and Lake Keowee), with smaller systems serving outlying areas. On its public-facing conservation page Greenville Water states directly: "Greenville Water has never had to ask for mandatory water restrictions, [but] it is always a good idea to conserve water." The utility's published conservation guidance is voluntary — low-flow showerheads, shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing teeth, and similar household measures — rather than prescriptive odd/even-day or time-of-day outdoor watering schedules.

The broader regulatory framework that would activate mandatory restrictions if conditions warranted is the South Carolina Drought Response Act, codified at S.C. Code Ann. §§49-23-10 through 49-23-100. Under §49-23-50, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR), advised by the Drought Response Committee, divides the state into drought management areas and declares one of four drought phases — incipient, moderate, severe, or extreme (§49-23-20) — for each area as hydrologic conditions warrant. Section 49-23-50(d)(2) directs that "statewide action usually should not be taken in instances in which action in a particular area experiencing drought is more appropriate," so curtailments under §49-23-70(C) generally apply only to the designated drought management area, not to the entire state. Greenville County lies within SC DNR's drought management area for the upper Savannah / Saluda river basins.

Section 49-23-90 then requires every municipality, county, public service district, special purpose district, and commission of public works that supplies water — Greenville Water explicitly included — to develop and implement a drought response ordinance or plan that aligns with the state Drought Response Plan and obtains SC DNR approval before being put into effect. The act provides a model drought ordinance that utilities may adopt. When a drought stage is declared and an approved local plan is activated, violations of the resulting restrictions are a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $1,000 per violation; willful violations may be charged per day, and SC DNR may also seek an injunction in circuit court regardless of whether criminal proceedings are pursued.

In day-to-day practice, residents of unincorporated Greenville County and the cities served by Greenville Water are not subject to any mandatory outdoor-watering ordinance and may water lawns, wash cars, and fill pools on any schedule, subject only to their bill. The legal framework that would change that — a SC DNR drought declaration plus activation of Greenville Water's drought plan — has not been triggered. Customers should still check current conditions with Greenville Water at (864) 241-6000 before assuming no restrictions are in effect, especially during dry-summer or dry-fall years.