Riverside County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Riverside County, CA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Primary authority
- CA State Water Board (statewide) + local water district
- No watering after rain
- Banned within 48 hrs of 1/4-inch rainfall
- Runoff
- Irrigation runoff onto pavement prohibited
- Hosing hard surfaces
- Prohibited statewide
- Car washing
- Hose must have a shut-off nozzle
- Reporting
- savewater.ca.gov state portal
Summary
Day-to-day outdoor watering in unincorporated Riverside County is governed mainly by California State Water Board permanent prohibitions and the watering rules of your local water district, not a single county ordinance. Statewide bans prohibit watering within 48 hours of rain, hosing hard surfaces, runoff, and nozzle-less car washing.
Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance Low water using plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation save water while making habitat for pollinators. DWR/2015 About 40% of the water Californians use at home is used outdoors. Large water savings can be gained by efficient landscape design, installation, management, and maintenance. This is accomplished by choosing climate adapted plants, improving soil conditions, using, and maintaining high efficiency irrigation equipment and managing the irrigation schedule to fit the plants water needs as they are influenced by local climate.
Full Breakdown
Unincorporated Riverside County does not run a single countywide irrigation-schedule ordinance; outdoor water-use limits come from two sources. First, the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) maintains permanent statewide prohibitions on wasteful water use that apply everywhere in California regardless of drought status. These ban: irrigating turf or ornamental landscape during or within 48 hours after at least one-quarter inch of measurable rainfall; applying potable water to outdoor landscapes in a way that causes runoff onto sidewalks or streets; hosing off sidewalks, driveways, and other hard surfaces; washing a vehicle with a hose lacking a shut-off nozzle; and operating ornamental fountains that do not recirculate water.
gov portal. Second, each retail water purveyor serving the unincorporated county (for example Eastern Municipal Water District, Western Municipal Water District, or Coachella Valley Water District) sets its own watering-day schedules, drought-stage restrictions, and penalties, which can be stricter than the state baseline. Riverside County's own landscape rules (Ordinance 859, the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance) regulate the design and efficiency of new and rehabilitated landscapes rather than daily watering days. Residents should follow whichever rule is most stringent: the SWRCB prohibitions, their water district's current stage, or any applicable county landscape requirement.
Violations & Fines
SWRCB prohibition violations can draw warnings and fines from the state or your water district. Local water districts impose their own escalating penalties for over-watering, off-schedule irrigation, and runoff during drought stages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Riverside County set my watering days?
Can I water my lawn right after it rains?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
How Riverside County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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