Nicholasville, KY Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 23, Article IV, Division 2 of the Nicholasville Code of Ordinances works in four escalating phases, each declared by resolution of the water management task force (WMTF), the committee appointed by the governing body of the city to manage water emergencies. Under § 23-58, a water shortage advisory is the first phase. The director of public utilities can call on customers to use voluntary conservation, and persons are encouraged to cut back on watering gardens, lawns, flowers, shrubs and trees, on parks and golf courses, on pool filling and on vehicle washing.

The ban begins at the second phase. Under § 23-59, when the WMTF finds raw water supplies consistently below seasonal averages, it can declare a water shortage alert, and the watering of public or private gardens, lawns, flowers, shrubs or trees is then prohibited for the duration of the shortage. Parks, golf courses including greens, and playing fields are covered too, with no irrigation of crops. Pool filling and operation is barred except for pools used by health care facilities for patient care or rehabilitation. Commercial car and truck washes are exempt during an alert, and certain occupations such as masonry and paint contractors are exempt at the direction of the WMTF.

Section 23-60 adds a water shortage emergency, which keeps every § 23-59 prohibition and bars all domestic use except water needed to sustain human life and the lives of domestic pets and to maintain minimum standards of hygiene and sanitation. Section 23-61 lets the WMTF adopt mandatory rationing on terms set out in its resolution.

A declaration stays in force until the WMTF ends it by resolution. Under § 23-62 it is effective immediately on passage and is published in the Jessamine Journal and/or the Lexington Herald Leader.