Garland, TX Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Garland, 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
- Summer limit
- 2 days/week, Apr 1-Oct 31
- Winter limit
- 1 day/week, Nov 1-Mar 31
- Banned hours
- 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Apr-Oct)
- Exempt methods
- handheld hose, soaker hose, drip
- First offense
- citation, fine set by ordinance
- Second offense
- water service may be shut off
Summary
Garland limits sprinkler and automatic irrigation to two days a week from April through October and one day a week from November through March, with all irrigation-system watering banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the warm months. Hand watering with a shutoff nozzle, soaker hoses and drip irrigation are exempt from both limits.
Watering with sprinklers or irrigation systems is limited to no more than two days per week (during April 1—October 31), and no more than one day a week (during November 1—March 31) provided no active drought restrictions are in effect. A person commits an offense if he knowingly or recklessly irrigates, waters, or causes or permits the irrigation or watering of a lawn or landscape located on premises owned, leased, or managed by him or a dedicatory instrument in a manner which exceeds the weekly watering limitations set forth in this section. Except for hand watering using an automatic shutoff nozzle and or the use of soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems, a person commits an offense if, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., he knowingly or recklessly irrigates, waters, or causes or permits the irrigation or watering of a lawn or landscape located on premises owned, leased, or managed by him or a dedicatory instrument.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4862189; v40 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
120(16)(a) makes it an offense to run a sprinkler or automatic irrigation system more than twice a week between April 1 and October 31, or more than once a week between November 1 and March 31, whenever no drought stage is active. in the same warm-weather window, though hand watering with an automatic shutoff nozzle, a soaker hose, or drip irrigation is allowed at any time. 93: Stage 1 keeps the two-day/one-day pattern but ties the day to Tuesday and Saturday; Stage 2 cuts summer watering to one day a week on the customer's trash-pickup day and winter watering to once every other week on the recycling day; Stage 3 bars hose-end sprinklers entirely and limits watering to two hours a day by hand. 30(D)(1) is paid. Whoever is in apparent control of the property when a violation occurs is presumed to be the violator.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the watering-day or watering-hour rule draws a citation with a minimum and maximum fine set by ordinance under § 51.95. A second violation lets the city disconnect water service outright, restorable only after paying the reconnection charge set in § 50.30(D)(1). The person in apparent control of the property is presumed to be the violator, and parents are presumed responsible for violations committed by their minor children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I run my sprinklers in Garland?
Can I water in the middle of the day?
What happens if I get caught watering on the wrong day?
Do the rules get stricter during a drought?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Garland
How Garland compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Garland to another location·View the Texas landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle water restrictions.