Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Required equipment
- Rain switch and bypass switch
- Trigger
- Installation of a permanent irrigation or sprinkler system
- Water source
- Applies to municipal water and well water
- Exempt users
- Agricultural users
- Adopted
- April 11, 2000, Ord. No. O-10-2000
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000, 90 days in jail, or both
Summary
Monroe Township, Gloucester County, requires every new permanent irrigation or sprinkler system, on municipal or well water, to include a rain switch and a bypass switch. The rule covers residential and commercial installations, exempts agricultural users, and sets no watering days or hours.
A. All individuals and/or entities, whether utilizing municipal or well water, shall be required, upon the installation of a permanent irrigation or sprinkler system, to include in said system a rain switch and bypass switch. B. This section shall only apply to residential and commercial installation and is not intended to be applicable to agricultural users.
Full Breakdown
Section 104-7.1 of the Township Code, titled Water conservation measures, is the township's irrigation rule. The Township Council added it on April 11, 2000 by Ord. No. O-10-2000 and amended it on September 12, 2000 by Ord. No. O-33-2000.
The trigger is installation. Whenever an individual or entity installs a permanent irrigation or sprinkler system, the system must include a rain switch and a bypass switch. The requirement reaches everyone, whether the system draws municipal water or well water, so a homeowner on a private well has the same duty as a customer of the public supply.
Subsection B limits the scope. The section applies only to residential and commercial installation and is not intended to apply to agricultural users. That carve-out matters in a township with working farmland alongside its Williamstown developments.
This is an equipment mandate, not a watering schedule. The section does not set odd-even days, banned hours or a drought-stage trigger, and it does not restrict hand watering or portable sprinklers. Anyone planning a new in-ground system should specify both switches with the contractor before installation.
The section sits in Chapter 104, Article I, so the enforcement machinery of that article applies. Section 104-12 designates the Construction Code Official as public officer, and all inspections, regulations, enforcement and hearings on violations of the article are under his direction and supervision.
Violations & Fines
Because § 104-7.1 is part of Article I, § 104-16.5 applies: conviction brings a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail for up to 90 days, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. The Construction Code Official handles inspection and enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Monroe Township limit which days I can water my lawn?
Does the rule apply if I use a private well?
Are farms covered by the irrigation rule?
Who enforces the rain switch requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monroe Township (Gloucester County)
How Monroe Township (Gloucester County) compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Monroe Township (Gloucester County) to another location·View the New Jersey landscaping rules overview
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