Portland, OR Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Portland, OR, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Water shortage or emergency
- Who decides
- City Administrator
- Max penalty
- $500 per day
- Enforcement tool
- Water service termination
- Fixed watering days
- None set in code
Summary
Portland has no standing odd-even watering schedule. Instead, the City Administrator can order mandatory water curtailment during a shortage or emergency, with rules issued administratively and enforced by fines up to $500 a day.
A. The City Administrator may require curtailment when:
1. The City has a water shortage or an imminent water shortage; or
2. An emergency threatens the water supply.
B. Before requiring curtailment, and to determine how much the community must reduce water use, the City Administrator must consider:
1. Public health and safety;
2. Equity;
3. Community economic conditions;
4. Water system financial and operational needs; and
5. Contract obligations to wholesale providers.
C. To establish the curtailment program, the City Administrator may adopt, amend or rescind rules, procedures and forms, consistent with this Section. The City Administrator may issue fines or other penalties to enforce curtailment rules, per Section 21.60.070.
Full Breakdown
Portland City Code § 21.80.010 lets the City Administrator require water curtailment when the city faces a water shortage, an imminent shortage, or an emergency threatening supply. Before ordering cuts, the Administrator must weigh public health and safety, equity, community economic conditions, water-system needs, and wholesale contract obligations. The curtailment program itself, which properties are affected, by how much, and on what schedule, is set through adopted administrative rules rather than fixed in the code. Curtailment rules are enforced under § 21.60.070, which authorizes warning notices, notices of violation, civil penalties up to $500 per day per violation, and termination of water service for noncompliance.
Violations & Fines
Civil penalties up to $500 per day per violation, warning notices, notices of violation, and termination of water service, imposed by the Water Bureau/City Administrator under Portland City Code § 21.60.070.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Portland set fixed watering days?
What's the penalty for violating a curtailment order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
How Portland compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Portland to another location·View the Oregon landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Multnomah County handle water restrictions.