Madison, WI Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Madison, WI, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Who imposes restrictions
- The Water Utility General Manager
- Restriction tiers
- Voluntary or mandatory
- Scope
- All properties or alternate sides of the street
- Alternate side rule
- Odd sides on even days, even sides on odd days
- Low pressure trigger
- Less than 20 PSI to any customer
- Penalty
- Forfeiture of $20 to $1,000
- Repeat violations
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Madison's Water Utility General Manager can impose voluntary or mandatory outdoor water restrictions on every water user in the utility's service area, either on all properties or on alternating sides of the street. Mandatory violations carry a forfeiture of $20 to $1,000, and each day counts as a separate offense under Madison General Ordinances § 13.04.
The Water Utility General Manager may impose voluntary or mandatory outdoor water usage restrictions on all water users in the Utility's service area under the criteria set forth below in order to avoid undue stress upon the resources and reserve capacity of the Water Utility. The restrictions may apply to all properties or to alternate sides of the street as the Water Utility General Manager deems necessary. ... Voluntary restrictions shall not apply to new lawns - either sodded or seeded. ... (b) Criteria For Mandatory Restrictions . 1. To avoid sustained low pressure (less than 20 pounds per square inch (PSI) to any customer), or 2. To maintain reservoir levels above preset fire reserve limits, or 3. To compensate for loss of one or more major wells due to mechanical failure. ... (3) Penalty . Any person who violates any mandatory restriction on water usage issued pursuant to this section or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall upon conviction thereof, be subject to a forfeiture of not less than twenty dollars ($20) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). Each day such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
Section 13.04 gives the Water Utility General Manager the power to call outdoor water restrictions when the utility needs to avoid undue stress upon its resources and reserve capacity. The power covers all water users in the Utility's service area, and the restrictions come in two tiers: voluntary and mandatory.
The General Manager chooses the shape of each restriction. A restriction can cover all properties or only alternate sides of the street. Alternate side restrictions apply to odd numbered sides of the street on even numbered calendar days and to even numbered sides of the street on odd numbered calendar days. A restriction can run all day or for specified times each day. Notice of a restriction is provided through major news media outlets in the City, and subsection (1) carries an amendment note for Ord. 9656, adopted 12-30-88.
Voluntary restrictions rest on two stated criteria: maintaining pumpage below a preset daily total amount, or complying with an electrical utility request for a voluntary cutback in peak load electrical usage. Voluntary restrictions do not apply to new lawns, whether sodded or seeded. The text states that exemption only for the voluntary tier, so § 13.04 contains no new-lawn carve-out for a mandatory restriction.
Mandatory restrictions have three criteria: avoiding sustained low pressure, defined as less than 20 pounds per square inch (PSI) to any customer; maintaining reservoir levels above preset fire reserve limits; and compensating for the loss of one or more major wells due to mechanical failure. Each criterion describes a problem in the water system, whether pressure, fire reserves, or a well failure, rather than a date on the calendar.
The section was created by Ord. 5569 on 8-13-76 and amended by Ord. 12,357, adopted 3-16-99, and by Ord. 13,500 on 1-23-04. Under § 13.05, the ordinances, rules, and regulations passed by the Common Council are part of the contract with every person, company, or corporation supplied with water through the City's water system, and taking water is assent to be bound by them.
Violations & Fines
A person who violates a mandatory restriction issued under § 13.04, or fails to comply with any of its requirements, is subject to a forfeiture of not less than $20 and not more than $1,000 upon conviction. Each day such a violation continues is considered a separate offense, so a violation that runs for several days is charged day by day rather than once. The forfeiture applies to mandatory restrictions and to failure to comply with the section's requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides when outdoor watering is restricted in Madison?
How does the alternate side rule work?
Does a restriction apply to a newly seeded or sodded lawn?
What conditions trigger a mandatory restriction?
What is the penalty for violating a mandatory restriction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madison
How Madison compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Madison to another location·View the Wisconsin landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle water restrictions.