Merced, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Merced, 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
- Baseline rule
- Level 1 water-waste bans apply always
- Level 2 schedule
- 3 days/week, no watering 9am-9pm
- Level 5
- All landscape irrigation prohibited
- First penalty
- $50 assessed to utility account
- Repeat penalty
- $150 for 3rd and later violations
- Appeal deadline
- 15 days to request hearing
Summary
Merced enforces mandatory water conservation levels that restrict when residents may irrigate, based on groundwater basin conditions determined by the state Department of Water Resources. Section 15.42.050 sets six escalating levels; Level 2 alone imposes a three-day watering schedule tied to address parity and bans irrigation between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. citywide.
B.Level 2: This level shall be in effect when the department of water resources determines the condition of groundwater basin is in a state of critical overdraft, water supply is projected to be reduced by up to twenty (20) percent, and/or city council deems it necessary. During any time in which level 2 restrictions are imposed the following mandatory conservation restrictions shall apply in addition to all level 1 restrictions on water waste.1.Three-Day Watering Schedule:a.Any sprinkling, watering, or irrigation between the mid-day hours of nine a.m. and nine p.m. is prohibited.b.Watering by persons with even numbered addresses or on properties without an assigned address is only allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.c.Watering by persons with odd numbered addresses is only allowed on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.d.Any watering by persons on Mondays with the exception of parks is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 - 1-26).
Full Breakdown
030). Level 1 applies at all times as a baseline: it bans washing sidewalks, driveways and building exteriors except for specific carve-outs like window washing or once-every-twelve-months exterior washing, prohibits non-recirculating ornamental fountains, bars watering within 48 hours of measurable rainfall, requires automatic shutoff nozzles on any hose used to wash a boat or vehicle, limits restaurants to serving drinking water only on request, and requires hotels to offer guests the option to skip daily towel and linen laundering. , even-address properties water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, odd-address properties water Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and no one may water on Monday except parks.
Level 3 tightens that to two days a week and layers on a drought rate schedule; Level 4 cuts it to one day per address group; Level 5 bans all landscape irrigation outright except twice-weekly watering of active parks, schools and cemeteries; and Level 6, reserved for system failures or supply cuts over 50 percent, halts even that exception. 060.
Violations & Fines
Violating any mandatory conservation level triggers a cease-and-desist order from the public works director, and continued noncompliance brings an escalating penalty assessed directly to the violator's water utility account: fifty dollars for a first violation, seventy-five dollars for a second, and one hundred fifty dollars for the third and every violation after that under Section 15.42.110.D. Violators can also face immediate water service disconnection under Section 15.42.070, and any appeal of a penalty must be filed in writing with the city clerk within fifteen days.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Merced
How Merced compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Merced to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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