Provo, UT Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Provo, 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
- Code Section
- Provo City Code 10.02.160 (Wasting Water)
- Scarcity Authority
- Provo City Code 10.02.220 (Mayor's Proclamation)
- Enforcement
- Water shut-off until turn-on fee paid (10.02.220)
- State Authority
- Utah Code Title 10, Chapter 8 (municipal waterworks power)
- Rebate Program
- Provo Turf Trade (water-wise landscape rebates)
Summary
Provo City Code 10.02.160 makes it unlawful for any water user to waste water through leaks, overflowing troughs, or wasteful running of hydrants and faucets. Under Provo City Code 10.02.220, when water is scarce the Mayor may proclaim restrictions on outdoor (non-domestic) water use, and violators can have their water shut off until they pay a turn-on fee.
10.02.160. Wasting Water. It shall be unlawful for any water user to waste water, or to allow it to be wasted by imperfect stops, valves, leaky joints or pipes, or to allow tanks or watering troughs to leak or overflow, or to wastefully run water from hydrants, faucets or stops, or through basins, water closets, urinals, sinks or other apparatus, or to use the water for purposes other than those for which the user has paid or to use water in violation of the rules and regulations for controlling the water supply and the provisions of this Title. 10.02.220. Scarcity of Water - Mayor's Proclamation. (1) In the event of scarcity of water, whenever it shall, in the judgment of the Municipal Council be necessary, the Mayor shall by proclamation limit the use of water for other than domestic purposes, to such extent as may be required for the public good. (2) It shall be unlawful for any person, family, servant or agent to violate any proclamation made by the Mayor in performance of this Section, and if any violation thereof shall occur, then in addition to any other penalty therefor the water supply to the premises upon which such violation occurs shall be shut off, and if shut off on that account, it shall not be turned on again until the payment of the uniform turn-on fee.
Full Breakdown
Provo's water-conservation rules are set in Title 10, Chapter 2 of the Provo City Code. 160 (Wasting Water) prohibits any water user from wasting water or allowing it to be wasted through imperfect stops, valves, leaky joints or pipes, leaking or overflowing tanks and watering troughs, or wastefully running water from hydrants, faucets, stops, basins, water closets, urinals, or sinks. 220 (Scarcity of Water - Mayor's Proclamation) authorizes the Mayor, when the Municipal Council judges it necessary in the event of water scarcity, to limit the use of water for purposes other than domestic use to the extent required for the public good; violating that proclamation is unlawful and, in addition to any other penalty, results in the water supply to the offending premises being shut off until a uniform turn-on fee is paid.
Provo's 2025 Water Conservation Plan, adopted by ordinance and filed with the State of Utah, identifies these as the City's two water-conservation ordinances and notes Provo offers a Turf Trade rebate program and participates in a regional water-waste notification program. 220 rather than a fixed weekly schedule in code.
Violations & Fines
Wasting water under 10.02.160 is a municipal-code violation. Violating a mayoral scarcity proclamation under 10.02.220 results in the premises' water being shut off, and service will not be restored until the uniform turn-on fee is paid; other penalties under the Provo City Code may also apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there mandatory watering days in Provo?
What happens if I violate a watering restriction?
Is letting a sprinkler run onto the sidewalk illegal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Provo
How Provo compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Provo 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.