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.
Tempe, AZ
Tempe encourages water conservation and follows Maricopa County water-use guidelines. While mandatory watering schedules are not always in effect, the city p...
Tempe, AZ
Tempe permits artificial turf on residential properties. Arizona law (ARS 33-1817) limits HOA restrictions on water-efficient landscaping. Synthetic turf is ...
Tempe, AZ
Tempe encourages native and desert-adapted landscaping. Arizona's Protected Native Plant Law (ARS 3-901) protects saguaro, palo verde, ironwood, and other na...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Maricopa County.
See how other cities in Maricopa County handle lawn watering restrictions.
See how Tempe's lawn watering restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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