Oyster Bay, NY Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Oyster Bay, NY, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Town Code § 180-11
- Schedule source
- Nassau County Water Conservation Ord. 248-A-1987
- Rain shutoff
- After 1/3 inch in 24 hours
- Spray restriction
- No spray onto sidewalks, neighbors
- ROW piping
- Needs DPW permit (§ 205-8)
- Penalty
- Up to $350 fine or 15 days
Summary
Town Code § 180-11 requires automatic underground irrigation systems to run only on the days and times set by the Nassau County Water Conservation Ordinance No. 248-A-1987, and shuts them off automatically after a third-of-an-inch of rain falls in 24 hours.
Automatic underground irrigation systems controlled by timing devices must operate in accordance with the time and date restrictions set forth in the Nassau County Water Conservation Ordinance No. 248-A-1987, as amended. Said system shall not operate when rainfall exceeds an accumulation of 1/3 inch within a twenty-four-hour period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4036544; v24 updated 2023-03-07; through 03-07-2023).
Full Breakdown
Section 180-11, added to the Plumbing chapter's Water Conservation article in 1988, is Oyster Bay's lawn-watering rule, and it works by incorporation rather than by writing its own calendar. Subsection A(1) requires that 'automatic underground irrigation systems controlled by timing devices must operate in accordance with the time and date restrictions set forth in the Nassau County Water Conservation Ordinance No. ' Subsection A(2), last amended in 2022, separately bars designing, installing or operating an underground system so that it sprays 'on public sidewalks, paved areas or neighboring parcels,' and requires a Department of Public Works permit under § 205-8 before any underground piping is laid within a Town highway right-of-way.
Subsection B protects irrigation drawn from sources that don't deplete the Town's sole-source aquifer from any restriction in the section. The Article also reaches beyond residential sprinklers: § 180-12 requires a water-conservation plan for expansions of commercial or industrial buildings, water-recycling systems on commercial air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and water-recycling systems at car washes and fleet-vehicle wash facilities. The Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development enforces the whole Water Conservation article under § 180-14, and § 180-13 lets a local water purveyor's stricter limits override the Code provisions with that Commissioner's approval.
Violations carry the chapter's standard plumbing penalty in § 180-20: a fine up to $350 or up to fifteen days' imprisonment, or both, per offense.
Violations & Fines
Running an automatic irrigation system outside the Nassau County Water Conservation Ordinance's time-and-date schedule, letting it run after a third of an inch of rain, or spraying it onto sidewalks or a neighbor's parcel violates § 180-11 and is punishable under § 180-20 by a fine up to $350, up to fifteen days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I run my sprinklers in Oyster Bay?
Does it matter if it just rained?
Can my sprinklers spray onto the sidewalk or my neighbor's yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oyster Bay
How Oyster Bay compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·New York rules heatmap·Compare Oyster Bay to another location·View the New York landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.