Taunton, MA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Under § 426-9 of the Taunton Code, the Municipal Council may by majority vote institute water use restrictions on the City's municipal water system in cases of drought or other circumstances requiring it, added in 1999 and amended March 28, 2006. Once in effect, the restrictions can ban watering lawns, washing cars, filling swimming pools, and any other water use the Council decides to target. Enforcement runs through the Taunton Police Department; if manpower shortages or police emergencies keep officers from handling it, the Water Division steps in to document violations.

Penalties escalate with each offense: a first violation draws only a written warning, a second costs $100, and every violation after that costs $200, with each day a violation continues counted as its own separate offense. After a fourth violation, the City may shut off water service outright, and service will not be restored until every outstanding fine and fee is paid by bank check or money order, not cash or a personal check. The restriction is citywide and binds Taunton's wholesale customers too: any city or town that buys water supplied by Taunton must comply with the same usage restrictions.

Separately, § 426-10 regulates irrigation reduction meters and requires in-ground sprinkler owners to install and maintain rain shutoff or soil moisture monitoring devices; an owner caught watering in the rain gets a written warning for a first offense and a $300 fine for every offense after that, with the water shut off entirely at the third offense until fines are paid and the shutoff devices are inspected by the Water Department.