Lafayette, IN Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Lafayette Municipal Code Chapter 5.02, Conservation and Rationing of Water, lets the Board of Public Works and Safety declare a water conservation emergency under § 5.02.020 upon determining the city public water system faces or is experiencing a shortage. Once mandatory conservation takes effect under § 5.02.040, users are prohibited from: (A) sprinkling, watering or irrigating shrubbery, trees, grass, ground covers, plants, vines, gardens, vegetables or other vegetation; (B) washing automobiles, trucks, trailers, mobile homes, railroad cars or other mobile equipment; (C) cleaning or spraying sidewalks, driveways, paved areas or other outdoor surfaces; (D) washing or cleaning business equipment or machinery; (E) filling swimming pools, wading pools or ornamental fountains; and (F) knowingly allowing leakage through defective plumbing.

If mandatory conservation alone is insufficient, § 5.02.050 lets the city move to rationing: residential users are limited to 75 gallons per person per day, and business, commercial and industrial users are capped at 50 percent of the volume used in the corresponding month of the prior year (or 50 percent of their average monthly use if operating less than a year). Section 5.02.060 lets the Board grant alternative rationing for health care providers, water use needed for health and sanitary standards, and industrial or agricultural activity declared necessary for public welfare.

Notice of mandatory conservation or rationing must go out by first-class mail or door-to-door distribution plus electronic and print media under § 5.02.070, taking effect at the end of door-to-door distribution or at noon on the third day after mailing.