Oak Park, IL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Section 26-5-6(A) restricts outdoor water use from May 15 through September 15 each year: Monday through Friday, properties with even-numbered street addresses may water only on even-numbered calendar days, and odd-numbered addresses only on odd-numbered days. Corner properties are assigned by their north-south street address, and properties without a street address are assigned to match the odd/even pattern of neighboring properties on the same side of the street. , the hours of peak evapotranspiration, regardless of address. A newly seeded or sodded lawn less than 3 months old is exempt from both the day restriction and the midday sprinkling ban.

"Outdoor use" covers sprinkling lawns, gardens, trees, shrubs, and plants and washing vehicles by direct hose connection to Village water, but excludes handheld watering cans and containers not connected to the Village supply, watering new grass seed, sod, trees or shrubs for their first 30 days, water used for authorized building construction, and recycling water in pools and fountains. The section does not limit the Village Manager or Director of Public Works from imposing further restrictions if the state or Village declares a water supply emergency.

Section 26-5-6(B) makes any owner, tenant, custodian, manager, or the registered water-meter applicant liable for a violation on their premises, fined under the Section 1-1-5 general penalty schedule, with repeated violations after a notice of violation treated as a separate offense and, if continued, abatable as a nuisance under Chapter 16. Section 26-5-6(C) assigns enforcement to the Director of Public Works and the Chief of Police, though the Village Manager may reassign it to other Village employees.