St. Peters, MO Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in St. Peters, MO, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Mayor's proclamation during drought/low pressure
- Banned use
- Watering yards, shrubs, gardens, lawns
- Conservation plan deadline
- 48 hours, 2-inch+ meters
- Required reduction
- 50% of average consumption
- Enforcement
- Water service disconnection at main
- Public notice
- Posted 2 public places plus newspaper
Summary
St. Peters bans watering lawns, gardens and other vegetation, along with car washing, filling unfiltered pools, and several other water uses, the moment the Mayor proclaims a water emergency under Chapter 705, Article VII. Residential customers can also be limited to set watering hours or a share of their prior year's usage, and large water users must file a Water Conservation Plan within forty-eight hours.
Section 705.200. Certain Uses May Be Prohibited. ... ... A. In times of emergency proclaimed as herein provided, the following uses and withdrawals of water by any person shall be prohibited: 1. "Watering Yards", namely, the sprinkling, watering, or irrigating of shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, ground covers, plants, vines, gardens, vegetables, flowers, or any other vegetation; ... Section 705.250. Residential Use Of Water. ... The restrictions herein imposed on the consumption of water within the City shall apply to residential users to the extent that the City Administrator may also restrict the usage to certain hours of the day, divide the City into sections for the purpose of alternating water service on a scheduled basis, besides making applicable to such customers provisions of the preceding Sections of this Article.
Full Breakdown
Section 705.140 lets the Mayor proclaim a water emergency whenever the City's water supply or tower and main pressure runs low from drought or other conditions, banning any use beyond essential health, safety and welfare needs. Section 705.150 lets the Mayor phase restrictions in on a schedule or impose them immediately, and amend, rescind or revoke any proclamation at will. Section 705.160 requires the proclamation to be posted in at least two public places and published once in a locally circulated newspaper, and Section 705.170 makes it effective immediately on posting and publication until rescinded.
Section 705.200 then lists the banned uses during a proclaimed emergency: watering yards, shrubbery, gardens or lawns; washing cars, trucks, trailers or boats; cleaning sidewalks, driveways or building exteriors; washing business equipment and machinery; running unfiltered swimming or wading pools or ornamental fountains; knowingly leaving defective plumbing to leak; bulk or out-of-town water sales; commercial car washes; non-recycled cooling water; dust control; main flushing except for customer complaints; and fire hydrant use except for firefighting, human consumption or animals. Section 705.210 requires every customer with a two-inch or larger meter, other than fire-protection meters, to file a written Water Conservation Plan with the City Administrator within forty-eight hours of the proclamation, approved only if it cuts average consumption by fifty percent.
Section 705.220 hits business, institutional and industrial users first, letting the City Administrator cap them at prior-year usage, while Section 705.250 lets residential users be restricted to certain hours or a scheduled zone rotation, or capped at prior-year usage as well.
Violations & Fines
Continuing to water yards or otherwise violate a Mayor's water-emergency proclamation lets the City Administrator disconnect a customer's water service at the main under Section 705.270, with reconnection left to the City Administrator's discretion and all disconnection costs billed to the customer. A large user who misses the forty-eight-hour deadline to file a Water Conservation Plan under Section 705.210 faces the Article's penalty provisions immediately, with no additional notice required.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does St. Peters restrict yard watering?
What other water uses get banned during an emergency?
Do businesses face different restrictions than households?
What must large water customers do within 48 hours of a proclamation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Peters
How St. Peters compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Compare St. Peters to another location·View the Missouri landscaping rules overview
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