Los Banos, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Los Banos, 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 ban
- 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., every day
- Even addresses may water
- Sun, Wed, Fri outside ban hours
- Odd addresses may water
- Tue, Thu, Sat outside ban hours
- No watering day
- Monday, citywide
- New planting exception
- Daily watering for 1 year from planting
Summary
Los Banos bans daytime lawn and landscape watering with City water year-round. Overhead irrigation is unlawful between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. every day, and outside that window it is limited to three specific days a week depending on whether a house is on the even or odd side of the street, with no watering at all on Monday.
Overhead irrigation shall be restricted to certain days and times at all times during the year. It is unlawful for any person to use City supplied water for irrigation of lawn, landscaping, et cetera, between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on any day of the week, year round. Usage of water for the aforesaid purposes shall be restricted year round to Sun-day, Wednesday, and Friday before 11:00 a.m. and after 7:00 p.m. on the even numbered side of any street and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday before 11:00 a.m. and after 7:00 p.m. on the odd numbered side of any street. Watering shall be prohibited on Monday.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4356507; v3 updated 2025-03-05).
Full Breakdown
10(a)(2) of the Municipal Code sets a year-round overhead irrigation schedule inside the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. on any day of the week, every week of the year. on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, while odd-numbered addresses get Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Monday is a no-watering day citywide, for both even and odd addresses. window for one year from the planting date, but only if the Public Works Department confirms the new planting complies with the ordinance; reseeding an existing lawn does not automatically qualify for the daily exception unless it independently meets that standard.
The schedule is designed around automatic irrigation controllers, which the section separately requires to be programmed using current evapotranspiration or soil moisture data so total annual applied water stays under the calculated maximum applied water allowance.
Violations & Fines
Watering outside the assigned window is unlawful under Section 9-6.03.10(a)(2) itself and, more broadly, any violation of Chapter 9-6 falls under the Section 9-6.09 penalty: chargeable as an infraction or misdemeanor with fines and jail time capped at Government Code Section 36901 limits, plus administrative penalties available under Title 4, Chapter 11 and civil remedies including injunctive relief.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Los Banos?
Can I water a newly planted lawn every day?
Is there ever a day with zero watering allowed in Los Banos?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Banos
How Los Banos compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Los Banos to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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