Frisco, TX Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Frisco, TX, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Watering frequency cap
- Once every 7 or 14 days, controller-set
- Freeze/rain sensor threshold
- 40 degrees Fahrenheit, required on new systems
- Governing law
- Frisco Code §§ 18-381, 18-383(m)-(n), 94-80
- Maximum penalty
- $2,000 per day plus water service shutoff
- Adopting ordinance
- Ordinance 2024-05-22, Water Conservation Plan
- Drought stage trigger
- NTMWD Stage 3 or 4 declarations
Summary
Frisco requires every new automatic irrigation system to run through a controller capped at watering no more often than once every seven days, or once every fourteen days, and fitted with a rain and freeze sensor that shuts the system off at or above 40 degrees. The whole system must also operate under the city's adopted water conservation plan, backed by fines up to $2,000 a day.
(m) Irrigation controllers.All new irrigation systems must include an irrigation controller capable of providing the minimum following features: (1) Multiple irrigation programs with at least three start times per program; (2) Limiting the irrigation frequency to once every seven (7) days and once every fourteen (14) days; and (3) Water budgeting features. (n) Operational rain and freeze shut-off devices capable of setting thresholds for rain and freeze at or above 40 degrees. All new automatically controlled irrigation systems must include an operational sensor with the capability to set thresholds for both rain and freezing temperatures at or above 40 degrees or other technology designed to inhibit or interrupt operation of the irrigation system during periods of freezing weather at or above 40 degrees and rainfall.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 18, Article VI, Division 13 of the Frisco Code of Ordinances (§ 18-383, "Design and installation; minimum requirements") governs how sprinkler systems must be built and operated citywide. Subsection (m) requires every new irrigation controller to support multiple programs with at least three start times, and expressly limits irrigation frequency to once every seven days or once every fourteen days, a hard cap on how often a zone can run regardless of how the homeowner programs it. Subsection (n) separately requires an operational rain and freeze shut-off sensor, or equivalent technology, capable of interrupting the system at or above 40 degrees, on both new installations and any repair that replaces an existing controller.
" Above the individual system rules sits § 94-80, which adopts the city's Water Conservation Plan and Water Resource and Emergency Management Plan (Ordinance 2024-05-22) by reference and makes noncompliance with either plan a separate violation. That plan is the mechanism the city uses to declare drought stages; the Zoning Ordinance separately acknowledges that Stage 3 or Stage 4 drought restrictions set by the North Texas Municipal Water District can justify delaying required landscape installation up to six months. Enforcement runs through Development Services inspection of new irrigation installations before a certificate of occupancy issues, and through code enforcement citations for existing systems found out of compliance with the frequency cap or sensor requirement.
Violations & Fines
Under § 94-80(b), any customer who fails to comply with the water conservation plan or the water resource and emergency management plan is subject to a fine of up to $2,000.00 per day per occurrence, discontinuance of irrigation or water service, or both; each day of noncompliance is a separate offense, and the city can still sue for injunctive relief on top of the fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run my Frisco sprinklers every day?
Do I need a rain or freeze sensor on my sprinkler system?
What happens if I ignore Frisco's water conservation rules?
Who enforces Frisco's irrigation rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frisco
How Frisco compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Frisco to another location·View the Texas landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Collin County handle water restrictions.