Kent, WA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Kent, WA, 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
- Council emergency ordinance during drought
- Ordinance duration
- Expires 12 months unless amended
- Large water user threshold
- 133,690 cubic ft/month (May 15-Aug 31)
- First violation fine
- $50 class 3 civil infraction
- Repeat violation fine
- $250 class 1 civil infraction
Summary
Kent has no standing lawn-watering schedule. Instead, KCC 7.13.030 lets the city council pass an emergency ordinance limiting irrigation and other water uses during a drought, and KCC 7.13.050 spells out what that ordinance can restrict, including landscape irrigation, once it is in force.
A. Subject to subsection (B) of this section, any ordinance passed pursuant to this chapter may limit or prohibit the following uses of water: 1. Irrigating or watering of landscaping, grass, plants, vegetables, vines, trees, shrubbery, gardens, ground cover, or any other similar vegetation; and/or... B. Customers whose historic monthly average water use for the period from May 15th through August 31st exceeds one hundred thirty-three thousand six hundred ninety (133,690) cubic feet per month, or who operate a business in which the essential function of the business is the sale of plants, vegetables or other vegetation, hereinafter referred to as "large water users," shall not, by operation of an ordinance passed pursuant to subsection (A) of this section, be completely prohibited from all use of water; provided, that the director may limit the number of days in which large water users use water that would normally be subject to a complete prohibition authorized by subsection (A) of this section.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4542, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030. 050(A) lets that ordinance limit or prohibit irrigating landscaping, grass, plants, vegetables, vines, trees, shrubbery, gardens, ground cover or similar vegetation, along with vehicle washing, sidewalk/driveway washing, and recreational water uses like sprinklers and pools. A restriction ordinance automatically expires 12 months after passage unless the council amends or repeals it sooner. Subsection (B) protects "large water users," defined as customers whose May 15 through August 31 historic monthly average use exceeds 133,690 cubic feet, from a complete water shutoff; the director instead designates specific days they may use water that would otherwise be banned.
Licensed car washes and businesses that must wash vehicles to operate are exempt from vehicle-washing limits, and public recreational facilities are exempt from recreation-use limits. 160.
Violations & Fines
Under KCC 7.13.060, a first violation of a drought restriction ordinance is a class 3 civil infraction ($50); a second or subsequent violation is a class 1 civil infraction ($250). A third or subsequent violation may instead be charged as a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. Kent police, fire officials, code enforcement officers, and the public works director or designee may issue infractions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kent currently restrict lawn watering days?
Who enforces a Kent water-use restriction ordinance?
Can a business with heavy water use still water plants during a restriction?
How long does a Kent drought restriction ordinance last?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
How Kent compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Kent to another location·View the Washington landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle water restrictions.