Idaho Falls, ID Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

The City of Idaho Falls operates its own Water Division and supplies treated groundwater from the East Snake River Plain aquifer (ESPA). Outdoor watering is governed primarily by conservation, not a mandatory calendar. City Code Title 8, Chapter 4 (Water Service), section 8-4-8 states: 'It shall be unlawful for any water user to waste water or allow it to be wasted by improper use or by faulty facilities. Irrigation by open hoses is prohibited.' The code defines 'OPEN HOSE' as the use of water through a hose without a nozzle or other pressure-limiting device, so watering with an uncontrolled, nozzle-less hose is a code violation. The City's Water Conservation brochure echoes this, calling open-hose watering 'a violation of City code,' and recommends watering established lawns only every two to three days and not overwatering pavement. Idaho Falls does not publish a permanent odd/even address-based schedule the way some Idaho cities do; instead, section 8-4-9 gives the Mayor authority, 'in times of, or in anticipation of, scarcity of water,' to limit water use by public proclamation, which, once published in two consecutive issues of the official newspaper, has the force of a City ordinance. So day-to-day watering is voluntary and conservation-driven, but it can become mandatory during a declared shortage.