Hawthorne, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Hawthorne, CA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Daily watering window
- Before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. only
- Stage 1 watering days
- 3 days/week by address parity
- Stage 2 watering days
- 2 days/week
- 2nd violation fine (Stage 1)
- $25 added to water bill
- Misdemeanor penalty ceiling
- $1,000 fine or 30 days jail
- Leak repair deadline
- 5 days after city notice
Summary
Hawthorne caps residential and commercial landscape irrigation to before 8 a.m. and after 6 p.m. under Municipal Code Chapter 8.60, with tighter day-of-week schedules once the city council declares a Stage 1 through Stage 4 drought emergency. Hand watering, drip lines, and hose shut-off nozzles stay exempt.
C. The irrigation of residential and commercial landscape is only permitted before eight a.m. and after six p.m. only and not during and within forty-eight hours after a measurable rainfall. D. The watering of landscaped areas, including trees and shrubs, located on residential and commercial properties that are not irrigated by a landscape irrigation system requires the use of a hand-held hose equipped with a positive shut-off nozzle or bucket.
Full Breakdown
, and never during or within 48 hours after measurable rainfall. Hoses used on unirrigated landscaped areas must carry a positive shut-off nozzle or a bucket. Washing paved surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and patios is banned outright except to address a safety or sanitation hazard, and irrigation runoff onto hardscapes, roadways or adjacent property is separately prohibited. Ornamental fountains must run on recirculated water, and vehicle washing requires a bucket-and-shutoff hose, a low-volume wash system, or a site that reclaims water. Water leaks must be fixed within five days of the city or water agency's notice.
050, outdoor irrigation with potable water drops to no more than three days a week: even-numbered addresses may water Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday, odd-numbered addresses Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, and addresses with no street number follow the even-number schedule. 060) tightens that further to two watering days a week. Drip and micro-spray zones, and hand-held hoses with automatic shut-off, stay exempt at every stage. Newly built homes and buildings cannot irrigate landscaping with potable water at all unless it is delivered by drip or micro-spray, and potable water may never be used to irrigate ornamental turf in public street medians. window but may hand-water, bucket-water, or drip-irrigate at any time, and may irrigate propagation beds or water livestock around the clock.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of any Chapter 8.60 provision under Section 8.60.100 draws a written notice and lets the city install a real-time water measurement device billed to the customer. A second violation adds a monetary penalty on the water bill: $25 during Stage 1, $50 in Stage 2, $100 in Stage 3, or $200 in Stage 4. A third violation doubles those amounts to $50/$100/$200/$400. A fourth violation lets the city install a flow-restricting device on the service line, and an egregious violation allows immediate flow restriction after just one notice. Any violation can also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or 30 days in county jail, or charged as an infraction instead; each day of continuing violation counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I water my Hawthorne lawn in the middle of the day?
What days can I water once Hawthorne declares Stage 1 restrictions?
Is drip irrigation exempt from Hawthorne's watering-day limits?
What happens if I keep violating Hawthorne's water rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawthorne
How Hawthorne compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Hawthorne to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle water restrictions.