Water restrictions in Shelby County, TN — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Shelby County has no mandatory outdoor watering schedule. Water is supplied by Memphis Light, Gas and Water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer, and MLGW promotes voluntary conservation rather than odd-even or day-of-week watering limits.
There is no countywide drought watering-day ordinance in Shelby County. Public water in Memphis and much of the unincorporated county is supplied by Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW), which draws entirely from the deep, artesian Memphis Sand Aquifer rather than surface reservoirs, giving the region strong drought resilience. MLGW does not impose mandatory odd-even or day-of-week outdoor watering restrictions; instead it publishes voluntary Water Tips encouraging residents to water lawns during the earliest and coolest part of the day, aim sprinklers at lawns rather than pavement, and use soaker hoses for shrubs and trees. MLGW also maintains a Drought Management Plan for emergencies. Residents on private wells should confirm any local guidance and verify current status directly with MLGW.
Because there is no mandatory watering schedule, ordinary lawn watering is not an enforceable violation. Any restriction would arise only if MLGW activated its Drought Management Plan during an emergency; wasteful practices are addressed through conservation guidance, not routine fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Shelby County's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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