Goodyear, AZ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Section 14-5-7 of the Goodyear City Code defines waste of water broadly enough to reach ordinary landscape irrigation problems: water that overflows the basin or object it is meant to fill, including a landscaped area; a permanently installed irrigation system spraying from a broken head or emitter; or a misdirected emitter that sends more than 10% of its spray onto surrounding hardscape, public property, or into gutters, storm drains, or ditches. Property owners and irrigation-district customers who accept flood irrigation water must operate and maintain their delivery and waste ditches so flood water does not escape in a quantity that causes waste, and cumulative pooling may not exceed 150 square feet or run deeper than one-quarter inch into a drainage conveyance.

Vehicle washing must use a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle. The section carves out exceptions for firefighting, hazardous-spill abatement, storm runoff, and utility system maintenance, so a legitimate line break repair is not a violation. Enforcement runs through the Code Compliance Manager, a Code Compliance Officer, the Director, the Water Conservation Specialist, the Prosecutor, or the City Attorney, any of whom may inspect a property on complaint or on their own initiative. A written notice must state the alleged violation, cite the code section, and give a correction window that can run from immediate compliance up to 30 days depending on the facts.

Ignoring that notice exposes the property to a civil citation processed under Article 18-1, and the City may separately pursue a criminal citation under Article 1-8. Waste tied to a declared drought-stage water shortage is punished under this same section's penalty scheme, per Section 14-5-6(G).