Skokie, IL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Skokie, IL, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Banned hours
- 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., every day
- Odd addresses
- Water only on odd-numbered calendar days
- Even addresses
- Water only on even-numbered calendar days
- Emergency ban authority
- Village Manager, any/all outdoor use (Sec. 110-45)
- Hydrant use by landscapers
- Permit + fee required (Sec. 110-47)
- Fine
- Up to $750.00 per day (Sec. 1-6)
Summary
Village of Skokie code bans lawn sprinkling and irrigation, including automatic and oscillating sprinklers, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day. On top of that window, odd-numbered street addresses may water only on odd-numbered calendar days and even-numbered addresses only on even-numbered days, under Sec. 110-46.
Sec. 110-46. - Lawn sprinkling restrictions. Lawn sprinkling or irrigation, including but not limited to the use of automatic or oscillating sprinklers, is prohibited from the hours of 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Property owners with odd-numbered street addresses shall restrict the use [of] sprinklers to odd-numbered days of the month. Property owners with even-numbered street addresses shall restrict the use [of] sprinklers to even-numbered days of the month.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 205 | Zoning: Supplement 89).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 110-46, added by Ord. No. daily, and the code layers an odd-even calendar restriction on top, tying watering days to the last digit of a property's street address. This sits inside Chapter 110's Article II on water and sewer service. The preceding Sec. 110-45 gives the Village Manager or designee separate, broader authority to declare a temporary or permanent ban on any or all outdoor water use whenever a disruption or shortage affects the domestic water supply, independent of the standing hourly and calendar rules.
Sec. 110-47 covers commercial water users: landscapers, contractors, or anyone using water for lawn or landscape maintenance, cleanup, watering, or construction may fill equipment only at fire hydrant locations the Village Manager designates, after paying the fees set in Sec. 46-191 and obtaining a metered fire hydrant permit to track usage. These provisions rest on Skokie's home-rule authority as a village of more than 25,000 residents under Ill. Const. Art. VII, Section 6, and on the Village's general power to regulate its own water utility under 65 ILCS 5/11-124-1.
Illinois imposes no statewide preemption of local lawn-watering schedules, so this is a genuinely local rule rather than boilerplate reciting state law. The Department of Public Works administers water service and can act on both the Sec. 110-45 emergency authority and the everyday Sec. 110-46 schedule.
Violations & Fines
Sprinkling outside the permitted window or on the wrong calendar day is not separately fined, so it draws the Village's standard penalty under Sec. 1-6: up to $750.00 for each day the violation continues, with a presumption that it is ongoing until the Village Manager or designee determines it has been abated or corrected. The Corporation Counsel may pursue the fine through a civil action rather than jail time once filed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can I run my sprinkler in Skokie?
Can the Village shut off outdoor watering entirely?
Can a landscaping company fill a water truck from a fire hydrant?
What is the fine for sprinkling during banned hours?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Skokie
How Skokie compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Skokie to another location·View the Illinois landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle water restrictions.