Milpitas, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Milpitas, 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
- Watering hours
- 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. only
- Days per week
- 4 days maximum
- Odd addresses
- Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat
- Even addresses
- Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun
- Rain-linked ban
- no watering 48 hrs after rain
Summary
In the City of Milpitas, watering lawns, plants and turf is banned outside 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. and limited to four days out of any seven, on a fixed schedule tied to whether your street address ends in an odd or even number.
3.16 Use for watering or irrigation of any plants, lawn, grass, landscaping or turf areas except between the hours of 6:00 p.m. through 9:00 a.m. and for no more than four (4) days during any seven-day period. The days of watering shall be: Address Ending in Odd Number: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday; Address Ending in Even Number: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday; No address: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.
Full Breakdown
Milpitas Municipal Code § VIII-6-3.00, item 3.16, is a permanent water-use restriction, in force at every shortage level including 'normal' Level 0, that bans watering or irrigating 'any plants, lawn, grass, landscaping or turf areas except between the hours of 6:00 p.m. through 9:00 a.m. and for no more than four (4) days during any seven-day period.' The City assigns the four allowed days by address parity: addresses ending in an odd number may water Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; addresses ending in an even number may water Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday; properties with no address may water Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Five categories of watering are exempt from the day-and-time schedule, but only while the City remains at WSCP Levels 0 and 1: short periods for timer adjustment and irrigation-system repair, hand watering, watering nursery or garden-center stock for sale, drip irrigation, and zones run by an activated weather-based irrigation controller. The schedule sits alongside other permanent landscape rules in the same section: watering that causes runoff onto a sidewalk, driveway, street or gutter is banned outright (item 3.01), watering within 48 hours after a quarter-inch or more of rain is banned (item 3.11), and irrigation of street medians planted with ornamental turf is banned (item 3.13). Item 3.17 lets the City grant exceptions for an immediate health-and-safety need or to meet a permit condition from a state or federal agency.
Violations & Fines
Watering outside the assigned days or hours is enforceable the same way as any other permanent restriction under this chapter: § VIII-6-3.00 states a violation 'will be considered waste and an unreasonable use of water,' and § VIII-6-5.00 routes enforcement to the citywide infraction schedule in § I-1-4.09-1, up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for each later offense, or to an administrative citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Milpitas?
Can I hand-water my garden any day I want?
Am I allowed to water right after it rains?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Milpitas
How Milpitas compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Milpitas to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle water restrictions.