Water restrictions in Rialto, CA — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Rialto Municipal Code Chapter 12.20 sets four escalating water-conservation stages. Stage 1 permanently bans runoff, washing pavement, and non-recirculating fountains; the Stage 2 Water Alert adopted in 2016 limits sprinkler irrigation to four days per week, ten minutes per station.
Section 12.20.021 lists permanent Stage 1 prohibitions adopted under Water Code Section 350 et seq.: no water applied to sidewalks, driveways, or other hard surfaces; no non-recirculating fountains; leaks must be repaired promptly; vehicle washing requires a bucket or shutoff-nozzle hose; no use causing runoff into gutters or streets; and no potable irrigation of ornamental turf on street medians. Section 12.20.022 (Stage 2, the city's posted stage since July 26, 2016) adds a 20 percent reduction from base-year use, limits irrigation to four days per week and ten minutes per station (drip systems and weather-based controllers exempt), and bans irrigating during or within 48 hours after rainfall exceeding one-quarter inch. Ordinance Nos. 1550 (2014) and 1560 (2015) updated the chapter.
Escalating penalties within one year: two written warnings, then a $100 surcharge, then $300 plus a 96-hour flow restrictor, then $500 plus a two-day water shutoff (RMC 12.20.022(B)).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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