Sioux City, IA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Sioux City, IA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Sioux City Municipal Code § 12.12.464
- Trigger
- Declared water emergency only
- Sample schedule
- Even addresses water even days
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor plus water shutoff
Summary
During a declared Sioux City, Iowa water emergency, the city manager's proclamation can limit lawn, tree, and garden watering to set odd- or even-numbered calendar days by address number.
1. The proclamation declaring a water emergency shall set forth one or more of the following actions as being prohibited during the water emergency:
a. Watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and other vegetation.
b. Watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and other vegetation at premises having even numbered addresses other than on even numbered days of the month, and at premises having odd numbered addresses other than odd numbered days of the month. Where premises are considered as having both even and odd numbered addresses, watering of the lawns, streets, bushes, shrubs, gardens and vegetation other than on even days of the month.
c. Watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and other vegetation at premises having even numbered addresses other than on Sundays and at premises having odd numbered addresses other than on Wednesdays. Where premises are considered as having both even and odd numbered addresses, watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and vegetation other than on Mondays.
d. Watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and other vegetation at premises having even numbered addresses other than on Sundays and Thursdays, and at premises having odd numbered addresses other than on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Where premises are considered as having both even and odd numbered addresses, watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and other vegetation other than on Sundays and Thursdays.
Full Breakdown
Sioux City Municipal Code § 12.12.464 lets the city manager's water-emergency proclamation, issued under § 12.12.460, prohibit watering of lawns, trees, bushes, shrubs, gardens and other vegetation outright, or restrict it to specific days: for example, even-addressed premises may water only on even-numbered days of the month and odd-addressed premises only on odd-numbered days, or to fixed weekday pairs the proclamation sets. The schedule applies only once a water emergency is proclaimed and announced through local broadcast media or a newspaper; it is not a standing year-round rule. Watering outside the announced schedule during an active emergency draws a water shutoff and misdemeanor charge under §§ 12.12.466-12.12.470.
Violations & Fines
Watering on a day the emergency proclamation prohibits is a misdemeanor, and the city manager may shut off water service to the violating premises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sioux City restrict lawn watering days year-round?
What does a typical restricted schedule look like?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sioux City
How Sioux City compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Sioux City to another location·View the Iowa landscaping rules overview
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