Orem, UT Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Orem, UT, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Year-round watering-day limit
- None codified for residents
- Mandatory odd-even days
- Only in Severe Stage shortage
- City regional parks window
- 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Other City parks/parkways window
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- HOA turf-strip rule
- No required lawn in strip under 8 ft (Utah Code 57-8a-231)
- Authority
- Orem City Manager / Water Shortage Management Plan
Summary
Orem has no fixed year-round watering-day or watering-hour ordinance for residents; mandatory odd-even watering days (by street address) are imposed only when the City Manager declares a Severe Stage water shortage under the City's Water Shortage Management Plan, while everyday outdoor irrigation is governed by efficiency expectations and Utah's water-wise landscaping statute.
Severe Stage: Mandate a reduction of water usage. Request odd-even watering days, based upon street address. Critical Stage: Mandate a reduction of water usage with enforcement. The Orem City Manager, or his appointed designee, will implement this Water Shortage Management Plan. The above phases are not intended to limit or restrict the ability of the City to meet the demands of the customer. Rather, it provides a guideline from which management decisions can be made. The City reserves the right to select the appropriate rationing phase based upon the specific circumstances regarding the anticipated duration of rationing, existing supply reserves, and the availability of alternate water sources.
Full Breakdown
Outdoor water use in Orem is regulated through the staged Water Shortage Management Plan in the 2022 City of Orem Water Conservation Plan rather than a permanent residential watering-day ordinance. Under the plan, the City Manager (or designee) may move through escalating stages: an Advisory Stage encouraging wise water use such as 'outside irrigation during non-daylight hours,' a Severe Stage that may 'Request odd-even watering days, based upon street address,' and a Critical Stage that mandates a reduction of water usage with enforcement. The City reserves the right to select the appropriate rationing phase based on supply reserves and the anticipated duration of rationing.
window, with no spot watering outside those windows. Statewide, Utah Code Section 57-8a-231 limits how homeowners associations can restrict water-wise landscaping, barring an association from requiring an owner to keep lawn or turf in any strip less than eight feet wide or to maintain more than 50% non-water-wise vegetation, so Orem residents in HOAs retain a statutory right to convert turf to low-water landscaping.
Violations & Fines
There is no standalone fine schedule for everyday over-watering; restrictions become enforceable only after the City declares a Critical Stage, at which point the City mandates reductions 'with enforcement.' Water-conservation directives are administered by the City Manager or designee and publicized through City channels during any rationing effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Orem, Utah?
Can my HOA in Orem force me to keep a grass lawn?
When does Orem mandate water restrictions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orem
How Orem compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Orem to another location·View the Utah landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle water restrictions.