Sparks, NV Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Sparks, NV, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Even addresses
- Water Wednesday and Saturday only
- Odd addresses
- Water Thursday and Sunday only
- Commercial
- Water Tuesday and Friday only
- Banned hours
- No watering 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
- First offense fine
- $50, rising to $200 for third offense
- Emergency schedule
- No watering November through February during declared emergency
Summary
Sparks restricts lawn irrigation to set days by address parity: even-numbered homes water Wednesday and Saturday, odd-numbered homes Thursday and Sunday, and commercial customers Tuesday and Friday. Watering is banned citywide between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. every day, with tighter schedules during a declared water emergency.
Unless a variance has been granted by the city engineer, it shall be a civil infraction to utilize water for the irrigation of lawns at any time except as follows:1.Residences with even addresses—Wednesday and Saturday or on Monday in lieu of one of these two days;2.Residences with odd addresses—Thursday and Sunday or on Monday in lieu of one of these two days; and3.Commercial customers—Tuesday and Friday. ... It shall be a civil infraction to utilize water for the irrigation of lawns between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Full Breakdown
075(A) of the Sparks Municipal Code sets normal-times lawn watering to three days a week by customer type: residences with even-numbered addresses may water Wednesday and Saturday (or Monday in place of one of those days), odd-numbered residences may water Thursday and Sunday (or Monday in place of one), and commercial customers may water Tuesday and Friday. regardless of the day, to cut evaporation losses during peak heat. 075(B) tightens the schedule further: no lawn watering at all from November through February, one day a week in March through May and September through October, and two days a week in June through August on the same address-based days.
Exemptions exist for reclaimed wastewater use, new lawns for their first six weeks, hand watering of gardens and hand-watering vegetation for erosion control, watering of public parks and athletic fields, and drip irrigation systems, all if done in a non-wasteful manner. The Department of Public Works and the Truckee Meadows Water Authority enforce the chapter through a notice-of-infraction process, and repeat offenders escalate through set fine tiers up to a Sparks Justices' Court civil action for continued noncompliance.
Violations & Fines
Watering a lawn on the wrong day or between 1 and 5 p.m. under Section 13.50.075 is a civil infraction, fined $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, and $200 for a third in normal conditions; those figures roughly double, up to $500, once the city council has declared a water emergency under Section 13.50.080. Continued noncompliance can be escalated to Sparks Justices' Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Sparks?
Can I water my lawn at noon in Sparks?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sparks
How Sparks compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare Sparks to another location·View the Nevada landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Washoe County handle water restrictions.