Palm Desert, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Palm Desert, CA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Nuisance water trigger
- Observed on any three days within a seven-day period
- Covered surfaces
- Sidewalks, driveways, ditches, gutters and roadways in the public right-of-way
- Classification
- Public nuisance under § 8.20.020(T)(8), abated under Chapter 8.20
- Audit duty
- Existing landscapes over one acre, per CVWD Ordinance No. 1302.1
- Variance authority
- City manager or designee, in writing, for emergencies
- Appeal window
- Fifteen days to city manager, then fifteen days to council
Summary
In the City of Palm Desert, California, an irrigation system that sends overspray or runoff onto sidewalks, driveways, ditches, gutters or roadways in the public right-of-way creates nuisance water once the condition is observed on any three days within a seven-day period. Municipal Code § 24.04.120 makes nuisance water a public nuisance subject to abatement under Chapter 8.20.
A. Public Nuisance Declaration. Any landscaping or landscaping irrigation system installed or maintained in violation of this chapter, including those failing to conform to approved landscaping plans, is declared to be a public nuisance under Section 8.70.010 and 8.70.030 and is subject to abatement pursuant to Chapter 8.20. B. Nuisance Water. The operation of a landscape irrigation system that creates overspray and/or runoff onto impervious surfaces (such as sidewalks, driveways, ditches, gutters, and roadways) in the public right-of-way shall be deemed to create nuisance water when such condition is observed to exist on any three days within a seven-day period. Nuisance water is a public nuisance under Section 8.20.020(T)(8) and subject to abatement pursuant to Chapter 8.20.
Full Breakdown
The text of § 24.04.120 sets no assigned watering days. What it prints is an overspray and runoff test in subsection B: operating a landscape irrigation system that creates overspray or runoff onto impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, ditches, gutters and roadways in the public right-of-way is nuisance water when the condition is observed on any three days within a seven-day period. Nuisance water is a public nuisance under § 8.20.020(T)(8) and is subject to abatement under Chapter 8.20.
Subsection A goes wider. Any landscaping or landscape irrigation system installed or maintained in violation of Chapter 24.04, including one that fails to conform to approved landscaping plans, is declared a public nuisance under Sections 8.70.010 and 8.70.030 and is subject to abatement under Chapter 8.20.
Section 24.04.070 ties maintenance to water efficiency. A regular maintenance schedule must be submitted with the certificate of completion, and it has to include routine inspection, adjusting and repairing irrigation equipment, and removing any obstruction to emission devices. Repairs are to use the originally specified materials or their equivalents whenever possible. Subsection A.3 refers to a normal watering window and allows irrigation outside it for auditing and system maintenance; the code uses that phrase without printing hours. Existing landscapes larger than one acre are subject to a landscape audit, irrigation survey and water use analysis under CVWD Ordinance No. 1302.1 (§ 24.04.110), and the water purveyor can require a landscape irrigation audit every five years by a certified landscape irrigation auditor (§ 24.04.130(B)).
Relief exists in § 24.04.120(C). The city manager or a designee can grant a variance, in writing, to a person who applies in writing for a water use the chapter prohibits, but only if the variance is necessary to prevent an emergency condition relating to health and safety and the applicant has shown that other measures achieve the objectives of the chapter.
Violations & Fines
Landscaping or irrigation maintained contrary to Chapter 24.04 is unlawful, and the violator is guilty of an infraction (§ 24.04.140(B)). After written notice, the city manager or a designee can revoke a landscape documentation package, withhold a certificate of occupancy or building permit, issue a stop work order, abate the nuisance under Chapter 8.20, or issue a citation. Section 1.12.010 caps a fine at one thousand dollars where no specific penalty is provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does irrigation runoff become nuisance water in Palm Desert?
Does the City of Palm Desert set odd-even watering days?
Can I get a variance from the irrigation rules?
How is a nuisance water violation abated?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Desert
How Palm Desert compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Desert to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle water restrictions.