Greenwich, CT Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Greenwich, CT, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Board of Selectmen declared water shortage (§ 10-28)
- Irrigation ban
- No lawn/plant sprinkling except food crops
- Vehicle-wash exception
- 3 gallons/vehicle, recirculating system
- Maximum fine
- $50 per offense (§ 10-32)
- Notice method
- Published in local newspaper (§ 10-33)
Summary
Greenwich has no standing watering-day schedule, but once the Board of Selectmen declares a water shortage under Code of Ordinances § 10-28, sprinkling or irrigating lawns, gardens and other vegetation becomes unlawful unless necessary to sustain food crops, crops for harvest, or a business's stock in trade. Violators face a fine of up to $50 per offense under § 10-32.
Upon a determination that a water shortage exists, the Board of Selectmen, in addition to the powers set forth in § 10-27 above, shall have the power to declare to be unlawful any or all of the following acts concerning water obtained from the Connecticut-American Water Company or other public utility water company subject to such reasonable and necessary exceptions as are determined by the Board of Selectmen to be in the public interest. ... (a)Using water to sprinkle, water or irrigate any plants, lawns, grass, ground covers, vines, flowers, shrubbery, trees or any other vegetation unless necessary to sustain food crops, crops for harvest or stocks of a business inventory; ... Any person who commits an unlawful act within the meaning of this Article shall be subject to a fine not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.) for each offense.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 10, Article 5 (Water Shortages), adopted June 8, 1981, declares in § 10-25 that regulating water use during a water shortage, threatened shortage or state of aquifer depletion is in the public interest. Section 10-26 lets the Board of Selectmen, after consulting the Commissioner of Public Works, the Conservation Commission chairman, the Director of Health, and Connecticut-American Water Company, determine that any of those conditions exists based on reservoir levels, demand, season and weather data. Once a water shortage is declared, § 10-27 lets the Board adopt a drought management plan, and § 10-28 authorizes the Board to declare unlawful a list of specific water uses, led by irrigating plants, lawns, ground covers, vines, flowers, shrubbery and trees unless needed for food crops or business inventory.
The same section reaches decorative fountains and pools, washing vehicles or building exteriors, hosing sidewalks and driveways, using fire hydrants for non-emergency purposes, and running a non-recirculating air-conditioning system, subject to exceptions the Board finds reasonable and necessary. Section 10-29 lets the Board extend the same prohibitions to private well water during a declared state of aquifer depletion, and § 10-33 requires the Board to publish any such action in a newspaper of general circulation in Town before it takes effect.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-32 caps the fine at $50 for each offense committed while a water-shortage declaration is in effect, and treats a violation of each separate section of § 10-28 as its own offense that does not merge with any other, with a violation continued beyond one day counted as a new offense for each additional day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Greenwich have permanent lawn-watering days?
What is banned once Greenwich declares a water shortage?
What is the penalty for violating a Greenwich water-shortage order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwich
How Greenwich compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Greenwich to another location·View the Connecticut landscaping rules overview
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