The Phoenix Active Management Area, administered by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, sets groundwater rules across most of Maricopa County. Outdoor watering schedules are imposed by individual cities and water providers, not by county-wide ordinance, though AMA conservation requirements still apply.
Arizona Groundwater Management Act of 1980 created Active Management Areas (AMAs); the Phoenix AMA covers most of Maricopa County. The Arizona Department of Water Resources enforces ARS title 45 chapter 2 management plans, which set per-capita gallons-per-day targets, turf-area limits for new non-residential developments, and best management practices for golf courses, agriculture, and large municipal providers. There is no countywide residential lawn-watering day-of-week schedule. Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, and other cities issue their own outdoor irrigation rules, drought stages, and stage-three restrictions. Unincorporated residents on private wells must still comply with AMA grandfathered-rights rules and may need to register exempt wells under fifteen hundred gallons per minute.
Violating ADWR Phoenix AMA conservation rules or unregistered well operation triggers civil penalties up to ten thousand dollars per day under ARS section 45-635, plus orders to install meters, file reports, or cease excessive groundwater pumping.
Maricopa County, AZ
Maricopa County encourages use of native and desert-adapted plants in unincorporated areas. Arizona law (ARS 3-901+) protects certain native plants including...
Maricopa County, AZ
Maricopa County does not prohibit artificial turf in unincorporated areas. Given the desert climate and water scarcity, synthetic turf is a common alternativ...
Maricopa County, AZ
Maricopa County falls within the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) regulated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR). Water conservation is cr...
See how Maricopa County's lawn watering restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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