Water restrictions in Salt Lake County, UT — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Salt Lake County is not a water utility and does not set outdoor watering schedules. Restrictions are set by the water provider serving each property - Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD wholesale), Granger-Hunter Improvement District, Hexagon Water (Murray), and Sandy City Public Utilities. Utah Division of Water Resources' Weekly Lawn Watering Guide is the regional baseline. Watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. is widely prohibited or strongly discouraged during the irrigation season (typically May 1 - October 1).
Salt Lake County itself does not impose residential watering restrictions - the county is not a water utility. Residents follow the rules of whichever water provider serves their address, layered with regional guidance from the Utah Division of Water Resources. Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities and the major suburban providers (Sandy City, Hexagon/Murray, Granger-Hunter Improvement District in West Valley, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District wholesale supplying multiple suburbs) typically prohibit outdoor watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the irrigation season (May - October) and follow the Utah Weekly Lawn Watering Guide, which sets a recommended watering frequency by week based on evapotranspiration and reservoir conditions. The Weekly Guide is the practical compliance reference - it commonly recommends 1 day per week in May, 2 days per week in June and September, and 2-3 days per week in July-August. During declared drought conditions, providers escalate to mandatory schedules (e.g., assigned watering days by house-number parity). New construction and significant remodels must also comply with state and local water-wise landscape rules - Utah Code Sec. 17-50-339 (HB 282, 2022) prohibits HOAs from requiring traditional turfgrass in front yards, and Sec. 10-9a-535 lets cities adopt water-wise design standards. Secondary water - untreated pressurized irrigation water from canal companies and conservancy districts - is widespread in Salt Lake County and is now subject to mandatory metering under Utah Code Sec. 73-10-34: all secondary pressurized connections in counties of the first class (including Salt Lake County) must be metered by January 1, 2030. State HB 242 (2022) appropriated $250 million for installation of secondary water meters statewide. Salt Lake County's role on the regulatory side is concentrated in stormwater quality (Title 17 Chapter 17.22) and water-efficient landscape design in newly developed projects (Title 19 Chapter 19.77).
Watering outside permitted hours can result in a written warning followed by escalating fines from the water provider - Salt Lake City Public Utilities, for example, can impose tiered surcharges and ultimately curtail service for repeat violations. Granger-Hunter Improvement District uses warning-then-fine progressions. During declared drought stages, providers may shut off service to repeat violators. Failure to install a required secondary meter by the 2030 statutory deadline can result in service termination by the provider under Utah Code Sec. 73-10-34.
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