Turlock, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Turlock, 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
- Trigger
- City Council declares a shortage
- Stage 1
- 3 days/week, odd-even address
- Stage 2
- 2 days/week
- Stage 3
- 1 day/week
- Stage 6
- Outdoor watering banned entirely
Summary
When Turlock's City Council declares a water shortage emergency, six escalating conservation stages progressively cut outdoor landscape and irrigation watering: from three days a week down to a full citywide watering ban at the highest stage.
Outdoor landscape watering shall be limited to three (3) times per week on an odd-even basis. If the address ends in an even number, the water days shall be Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If the address ends in an odd number, the watering days shall be Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. No outdoor landscape watering on Mondays. Drip irrigation systems shall be exempt.
(2) Outdoor landscape watering is prohibited between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
(3) Large commercial landscapes and City parks may have individual watering schedules approved by the Municipal Services Department.
(4) Residential vehicle washing. Residents shall be allowed to wash their vehicles as established by TMC 6-7-302(d).
(b) Stage 2. Mandatory water conservation compliance: Warning. Upon implementation of this chapter by the City Council pursuant to Water Code Section 350, and publication of notice that Stage 2 mandatory water conservation compliance measures are in effect, in addition to the outdoor landscape watering, water use prohibitions, and acts constituting water wasting and Stage 1 measures, the following Stage 2 mandatory conservation compliance measures shall apply:
(1)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4937289; v6 updated 2026-06-25).
Full Breakdown
Turlock Municipal Code § 6-7-405 establishes six mandatory water conservation stages the City Council can activate under Water Code § 350 during a shortage. Stage 1 limits irrigation to three days a week on an odd-even address schedule (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday or Wednesday/Friday/Sunday), never on Monday, with drip irrigation exempt. Stage 2 cuts that to two days a week, Stage 3 to one day, and Stage 4 to one day a week for trees only. Stage 5 restricts large commercial landscaping to once a month, and Stage 6 bans outdoor landscape watering entirely and stops new pool filling. Each stage layers on top of the standing year-round schedule in TMC § 6-7-301.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring an active stage's watering-day limit is enforced the same as any water-wasting violation under TMC §§ 6-7-408 through -410: a written notice first, then $50, $100, and $250 fines for repeat offenses within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What triggers Turlock's emergency watering stages?
Is drip irrigation restricted during a Turlock watering emergency?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Turlock
How Turlock compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Turlock to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle water restrictions.