Stafford Township, NJ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 208 (Water Conservation), adopted 9-4-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-63, regulates how lawns and landscaping are watered in Stafford Township. The operative time limit is § 208-5: in order to reduce the demand on the Township's water system during peak periods of use, no irrigation system connected to the public water system shall be operated other than between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The chapter sets an hours window and prints no odd-even or weekday schedule. Under § 208-1, an irrigation system is any assemblage of components designed for controlled dispersion of water onto landscape vegetation, including integral pumping or control systems for manual, semiautomatic or automatic operation, so the definition covers all three control types.

Section 208-4 adds an equipment rule: if an underground irrigation system is proposed for a nonresidential site or installed for a lawn or landscaped areas, a rain-sensor shutoff device must be installed and properly maintained. The sensor must use an electromechanical actuating device that interrupts the circuit and temporarily disables the irrigation controller during significant rainfall, which §§ 208-1 and 208-4A both fix at one-fourth inch of rain. Under subsections B and C of § 208-4, the device must withstand varying temperatures and inclement weather and be placed so the system cannot water during a significant rainfall.

On sources of water, § 208-2 encourages voluntary use of private wells for irrigation and nonpotable needs, including after a property connects to the public system. Section 208-3 requires all new nonresidential development properties to use private wells for irrigation and other nonpotable purposes, but it does not prohibit new or existing residential properties from using the public water system for irrigation. Section 208-6 bars any cross-connection between the public water system and a private well source.