Mesa, AZ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Mesa, AZ, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Permit requirement
- City Lake Permit, § 8-10-7(A)
- Also required
- ADWR approval under A.R.S. § 45-132
- Minimum lake depth
- 5 ac-ft/acre, 5-ft average depth
- Grandfather date
- Facilities built before Sept 18, 2004 exempt
- Enforcement
- Service termination + injunction, § 8-10-7(C)
Summary
Filling a decorative lake or watering a large turf facility from Mesa's water system requires a City Lake Permit under Mesa City Code § 8-10-7(A), on top of any Arizona Department of Water Resources approval. The permit sets source-water, evaporation-control, and depth conditions and can be revoked if they lapse.
(A)It shall be unlawful for any Person or entity to fill a Body of Water or to apply water for landscaping watering purposes on a Turf-related Facility without first obtaining a Lake Permit from the City, the Arizona Department of Water Resources as required by A.R.S. § 45-132, and this Section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 22).
Full Breakdown
' Applicants must apply through the Department before filling a lake or applying water to a turf-related facility, and the City Council may hold a hearing on the application at any regular or special meeting. Council can only issue the permit if it finds the facility will be filled exclusively from an approved source, effluent, storm-water runoff not subject to appropriation, water withdrawn under a poor-quality permit, or groundwater under a Type 1 or Type 2 non-irrigation grandfathered-right certificate, that evaporation-loss measures are in place, that any lake holds at least five acre-feet per surface acre at an average depth of five feet, that the facility runs an effective indoor/outdoor conservation program, and that its economic impact justifies the water used (§ 8-10-7(A)(2)(a)-(e)).
The City monitors compliance by metering and can terminate the permit the moment any issuing condition stops being met (§ 8-10-7(A)(3)). Facilities built or under design before September 18, 2004 are grandfathered unless later enlarged, and public recreational facilities owned by a government or flood-control district are exempt (§ 8-10-7(D)). Every permitted lake or turf facility remains subject to whatever Stage Two, Three, or Four shortage restrictions the Council or Mayor later adopts under § 8-10-7(E) and § 8-10-8.
Violations & Fines
Operating a Body of Water or Turf-related Facility without a Lake Permit, or violating one, lets the City terminate water service and refer the matter to the Arizona Department of Water Resources, and the City may seek a temporary restraining order or injunction in Superior Court under § 8-10-7(C). Under the Chapter's general penalty clause, § 8-10-10 adds escalating fines: up to $500 for a first violation, up to $750 for a second, and a $2,500 civil sanction with possible service termination for a third.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to fill a decorative lake in Mesa?
What water sources qualify for a Mesa Lake Permit?
Can Mesa revoke an existing Lake Permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa
How Mesa compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Mesa to another location·View the Arizona landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle water restrictions.