Surprise, AZ Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Section 58-657 defines unnecessary water waste broadly and bans it outright: water running off a landscaped area onto a street, sidewalk, gutter, alley, easement, parking area, or neighboring property that isn't fixed within a reasonable time after notice is a violation, as is a leaking exterior pipe, hose, or plumbing fixture left unrepaired. The section specifically bars turf in areas that are difficult to irrigate, such as sidewalk strips, slopes, driveways, and narrow pathways, where sprinklers end up spraying pavement instead of soil. Section 58-659 adds irrigation-specific waste examples: letting irrigation water overflow a property, refusing water after ordering it, or negligently letting irrigation water escape in a quantity that floods a right-of-way or blocks traffic.

Every hose used for hand watering, car washing, or other outdoor use must carry an automatic shut-off nozzle under § 58-660, and § 58-661 separately bans letting water keep escaping through a break or leak once a reasonable person would have discovered it. These standing rules sit apart from the city's emergency powers: once the city manager declares a water emergency under § 58-685, § 58-686 can add mandatory restrictions such as banning all outdoor irrigation except with reclaimed water, banning pool and fountain filling, and limiting vehicle washing to facilities with water-recirculation systems, unless a schedule of specific allowed irrigation days is adopted instead of an outright ban.