Water restrictions in Stockton, CA — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Stockton Municipal Code Chapter 13.28 imposes year-round watering rules. Under Stage 1 mandatory conservation, outdoor irrigation is allowed only before 8:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. on two assigned days per address; Monday, Thursday and Friday are no-watering days for all.
SMC Chapter 13.28 (Water Conservation) and Chapter 13.32 (Water Shortage Emergencies) govern outdoor water use. From May 1 through November 1, exterior irrigation is prohibited between 11:00 a.m. and the early-evening cutoff; November 1 through April 30 the hours-of-day limit does not apply but other waste rules remain in force. Under Stage 1 (Mandatory Water Conservation, currently in effect): addresses ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 may water Sunday and Wednesday before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.; addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 may water Tuesday and Saturday on the same schedule; no outdoor watering is permitted on Monday, Thursday, or Friday. Runoff onto sidewalks, gutters, streets, or neighboring property is prohibited, as is washing hard surfaces with potable water (limited exceptions for health/safety). Restaurants may serve water only on request; hotels must offer linen-reuse options.
Code Enforcement and Municipal Utilities issue water-waste notices. First contact is typically a written warning; subsequent violations escalate to administrative citations (commonly $100 / $200 / $500 per occurrence under the City's standard citation schedule) and, for repeated waste, installation of flow restrictors or service discontinuance under SMC §13.32.
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See how other cities in San Joaquin County handle water restrictions.
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