Raleigh, NC Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Raleigh, NC, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Effective
- irrigation systems installed on/after 7-1-2010
- Requires
- individual meter + smart controller
- Sensors
- 1 rain sensor + 1 other weather-based
- Installer
- NC Ch. 89G licensed irrigation contractor
- Audit
- ≥50% distribution uniformity, within 1 month
- Penalty
- up to $1,000/day, $25,000 cumulative
Summary
Every new permanent in-ground irrigation system installed in Raleigh since July 1, 2010 must be individually metered and run through a smart controller, a programmable timer plus two weather-based shut-off sensors, installed by a state-licensed irrigation contractor under City Code § 8-2169. A field audit confirming at least 50 percent distribution uniformity is required within one month of installation, and failing systems can have irrigation service cut off.
Upon application of this Article, all new permanent in-ground irrigation systems shall be individually metered. The irrigation systems shall be installed, maintained and operated according to the following design specifications. These systems must include: (1) A smart controller, which will consist of: (a) an approved programmable timer that must reflect mandatory watering restrictions to include days and times, and register run-times as low as one-minute increments, and (b) two (2) weather-based controllers, which will act as shut-off devices to assist in optimal watering conditions which will reflect current climate conditions; one (1) sensor will be a rain sensor, for automatic shut-off during rain events, and the second sensor will monitor one of the other weather characteristics such as temperature soil conditions and/or evapotranspiration, and listed on the IA's website as a common sensor type.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
Since July 1, 2010, City Code § 8-2169 has required every new permanent in-ground irrigation system connected to Raleigh's public water supply to be individually metered rather than billed on a flat rate. The system must run through a smart controller consisting of an approved programmable timer able to schedule mandatory watering days and times in one-minute run-time increments, plus two weather-based shut-off sensors: one dedicated rain sensor and a second monitoring another condition such as soil moisture or evapotranspiration, drawn from the Irrigation Association's list of common sensor types.
Installation must be performed by a contractor licensed under NC Gen. Stat. Chapter 89G by the North Carolina Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board. Within one month of completing the install, the licensed contractor must run a field performance audit following the Irrigation Association's Best Management Practices, and the system must hit a distribution uniformity of at least 50 percent; results go to the City for approval within two weeks of the audit. A system that fails gets two weeks to fix the problem before the City can interrupt irrigation service.
' The rule sits inside Article E, Water Conservation Plan, alongside the City's mandatory Stage 1-3 shortage restrictions (§ 8-2172, § 8-2175), and violations of the article generally are enforced by the Raleigh Director of Public Utilities under § 8-2177.
Violations & Fines
Article E enforcement (§ 8-2177) lets the Raleigh Director of Public Utilities assess a civil penalty up to $1,000 per day of continuous violation, or a single/cumulative penalty up to $25,000; a willful violation raises the cap to $5,000 per day, still capped cumulatively at $25,000. The City can also pursue an injunction or other equitable remedy, and, separately, interrupt irrigation service for a system that fails its required audit and is not corrected within two weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule cover the sprinkler system I already had installed?
Who is allowed to install a compliant system?
What if my system doesn't pass the audit?
Can I disable the rain sensor to water more?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Raleigh
How Raleigh compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Raleigh to another location·View the North Carolina landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle water restrictions.