Lynchburg, VA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Lynchburg, VA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Stage 2 watering ban hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Hand-watering exception
- Buckets of 5 gallons or less
- Second offense fine
- $50.00 on next water bill
- Third+ offense fine
- $100.00 per offense
- Reconnection fee
- $50.00 after shutoff
- Declaring authority
- City manager, mayor's approval
Summary
When the city manager declares a Stage 2 water emergency, Lynchburg bans watering lawns, shrubs and other outdoor vegetation between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., with narrow exceptions for new lawns, nurseries and hand-watering with small buckets. Violators face escalating civil fines and possible water shutoff.
(1)The watering of shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, plants, or any other vegetation, except indoor plantings, greenhouse or nursery stocks and except limited watering for new lawns and watering by commercial nurseries of freshly planted plants upon planting and once a week for five weeks following planting. Athletic fields are also exempt but shall only be watered to match the evaporation-transpiration rate. In all cases where the above exceptions apply, the watering is not to occur between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Watering with buckets that have a capacity of five or fewer gallons is permitted at any time.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 10).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 39-90 lets the city manager, with the mayor's approval, declare a water emergency in any area of the city during climatic or hydrological conditions that threaten the water supply, and Sec. 39-94 lays out four escalating stages, each of which builds on the restrictions of the prior stage. Stage 1 calls only for voluntary conservation. Stage 2 makes the watering restriction mandatory: it curtails watering shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, plants or any other vegetation outdoors, with exceptions carved out for indoor plantings, greenhouse and nursery stock, new lawns, and freshly planted stock from commercial nurseries for up to five weeks after planting.
Athletic fields may still be watered but only to match the evaporation-transpiration rate. , though hand-watering with a bucket of five gallons or less is allowed at any time. Stage 2 also restricts vehicle washing, washing of paved surfaces, ornamental fountains, and non-fire use of fire hydrants. Stage 3 adds a water-use surcharge of 25 to 100 percent on consumption above a customer's prior-year average baseline, and Stage 4 restricts water to uses absolutely essential to life, health and safety. The city manager can declare any stage directly without moving through them sequentially, and Sec.
39-93 exempts governmental, business or industrial activity the city manager finds necessary for public health, safety or to prevent severe economic hardship, subject to appeal to city council.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 39-95 sets escalating civil penalties: a first offense draws a written warning, a second offense a $50.00 fine billed to the violator's next water bill, and a third or later offense a $100.00 fine per offense, with each instance counted separately regardless of location. The city manager may suspend water service for continued violations, and restoring it costs a $50.00 reconnection fee. A person assessed a penalty can challenge it in writing to the director of utilities within ten days, and appeal an adverse determination to the public works director within another ten days; the director of utilities can also waive a penalty found to be no fault of the violator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can I water my lawn during a Lynchburg water emergency?
What happens the first time I violate Lynchburg's water restrictions?
Can the city shut off my water for repeat violations?
Are new lawns and nurseries exempt from Lynchburg's Stage 2 watering ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynchburg
How Lynchburg compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Lynchburg to another location·View the Virginia landscaping rules overview
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