Skip to content
WateringTimes

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)

Los Angeles Watering Schedule

Mandatory scheduleRules verified August 25, 2026

Your watering days

Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday (address ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8)

Year-round. Water before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. No watering during rain or within 48 hours after measurable rain.

No seasonal change. The same three-day schedule applies year-round.

LADWP customers water three days a week, year-round, based on the last digit of the street address. Odd endings (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; even endings (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Watering is not permitted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on any day, during rain, or within 48 hours after a measurable rain event. Spray head sprinklers and bubblers run up to 8 minutes per station per watering day; conserving rotors run up to two 15-minute cycles.

How many minutes on each watering day

Knowing the days is half the answer. This works out the minutes from Los Angeles's climate for the month you pick, then splits them across the days Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) allows, so the schedule fits the rules instead of fighting them.

Climate data

Los Angeles · 50 in/yr

Watering days allowed this month

3 per week (all year)

About 21 minutes per watering day, 3 days a week.

That splits the week across the 3 days Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) allows in July, so the schedule fits the rules instead of fighting them.

How that was worked out

Week's climate demand: 6.4 in for July × 7 ÷ 31 days = 1.445 in

Plants need: 1.445 × 0.8 = 1.156 in this week

Run time: 1.156 ÷ (1.6 in/hr × 0.7) × 60 = 62 min per week

Split: 62 ÷ 3 watering days = 21 min each time

If water runs off the edges before the cycle ends, split each day into shorter back-to-back cycles with a soak break between them. The total minutes stay the same.

Rain is not subtracted here. Skip watering during and after rain, and follow your supplier's rain rule. Point-source drip emitters and Bubblers are not in the list above: no manufacturer publishes an inches-per-hour rate for them, so those zones are watered by volume rather than by a run time against a rate.

Want the full method, the nozzle rate tables and their sources? Open the run time calculator.

Current status

Phase 2 (Phase II) of the Emergency Water Conservation Plan Ordinance (LAMC Ch. XII Art. I, Ord. No. 184250). LADWP's page states: "City of Los Angeles is Currently in Phase 2 of Water Conservation" and labels the Phase 2 fine column "(Current)".

The schedule

Year-round

Year-round; no seasonal date ranges are printed anywhere in the ordinance or on LADWP pages

Days: 3 days per week by last digit of street address. ODD (ending 1,3,5,7,9): Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. EVEN (ending 0,2,4,6,8): Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Addresses ending in 1/2 or any fraction conform to the permitted uses for the last whole number in the address.

Hours: No watering or irrigating between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on any day (before 9:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. only). No irrigation during rain and within 48 hours after a measurable rain event.

Run-time limits: Non-conserving nozzles (spray head sprinklers and bubblers): no more than 8 minutes per watering day per station, total 24 minutes per week. Conserving nozzles (standard rotors and multi-stream rotary heads): no more than 15 minutes per cycle, up to 2 cycles per watering day per station, total 90 minutes per week.

Exemptions and always-on rules

  • Hand-held hose watering of vegetation with a self-closing water shut-off nozzle: allowed every day, except between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
  • Drip irrigation supplying water to a food source: exempt from the watering-day provisions (Phase II, Sec. 121.08.B.5)
  • Very low-flow drip-type irrigation (no emitter producing more than 4 gallons per hour) and micro-sprinklers using less than 14 gallons per hour: exempt from the landscape irrigation minute limits (Sec. 121.08.A.8)
  • Public and private golf course greens and tees and professional Sports Fields: may irrigate during the 9 a.m.-4 p.m. window to maintain play areas and accommodate event schedules
  • Supervised testing or repairing of irrigation systems: allowed anytime with proper signage
  • Sports Fields: may deviate from non-watering days upon written Notice to the Department, if overall monthly water use is reduced by the Board-adopted degree of shortage plus 5% from Customer Baseline Water Usage within 30 days
  • Large Landscape Areas (3+ acres): may deviate from non-watering days upon written Notice with certified weather-based irrigation controllers registered with LADWP (MWD- or SWAT-certified), the same shortage-plus-5% reduction, and use of recycled water if available
  • Recycled Water and Gray Water: the Article does not apply, provided use causes no excess flow or runoff onto adjoining sidewalk, driveway, street, gutter or ditch (Sec. 121.11.D)
  • Hillside burn areas recovering from fire replanted for erosion control: exempt with verification from the agency requiring erosion control; limited to one growing cycle, one year, or establishment of vegetation, whichever is less (Sec. 121.11.F)
  • Uses necessary for public health and safety or essential government services (police, fire, similar emergency services) (Sec. 121.08.G)
  • Washing property immediately following aerial pesticide application (e.g., Malathion) is not a violation (Sec. 121.11.C)
  • Water-pressure devices for graffiti removal and Department-listed water-conserving spray cleaning devices: exempt from the paved-surface washing ban (a simple spray nozzle does not qualify)
  • Variance available for undue hardship due to unique circumstances (e.g., physical disabilities); temporary variance application process on LADWP site (Sec. 121.08.H)

Fines and enforcement

  1. Violations counted within the preceding 12 calendar months; penalties per Penalty Schedule A appear on the regular water bill. No monetary citation without prior warning.
  2. Phase 2 (current), water meter smaller than 2 inches: 1st violation = written warning $0; 2nd written violation = $100; 3rd = $200; 4th = $300
  3. Phase 2 (current), water meter 2 inches and larger: 1st = written warning $0; 2nd = $200; 3rd = $400; 4th = $600
  4. 5th or subsequent violation (any meter size): LADWP may install a 1-gallon-per-minute flow-restricting device (comparatively sized for services over 1.5 inches) or terminate service, after a hearing, in addition to fines
  5. Separate Penalty Schedule B for unreasonable use / failure to comply with a Customer Conservation Plan (Sec. 121.09), Phase 2: $1,000/month (months 1-5), $2,000 (6-11), $3,000 (12-17), $4,000 (18-23); beyond 24 months referred to Board for flow restrictors or other actions
  6. Names and addresses of violators receiving monetary fines may be disclosed under the California Public Records Act

Report water waste: Online "Report Water Waste" form at ladwp.com/waterwaste (redirects to the Report Water Waste page; form at myaccount.ladwp.com); by phone 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397); via MyLA311 Online Services; or the Water Conservation Response Unit directly at wcru@ladwp.com / 800-544-4498. Provide exact address, date and time, and a brief description.

Is this your water supplier?

Burbank Water and Power, Glendale Water and Power, Pasadena Water and Power, City of Beverly Hills (also serves most of West Hollywood), Santa Monica Water, Culver City (Golden State Water), City of San Fernando, Long Beach Utilities, Las Virgenes MWD (Calabasas/Agoura), and LA County Waterworks/Cal Water pockets border or are enclaved by LADWP territory and have different schedules.

Turf rebate from the same agency

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also pays by the square foot to take lawn out: $5.00/sq ft in Los Angeles ($3 LADWP on top of $2 MWD). The money is reserved before any digging starts, so the order of the steps matters more than the rate.

Program: LADWP Turf Replacement Rebate (via MWD SoCal Water$mart Rebate Program)

LADWP (Los Angeles) turf rebate

Questions people ask

What days can I water in Los Angeles?
Look at the last digit of your street address. Odd endings (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; even endings (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) water on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Addresses ending in 1/2 or any fraction follow the days for the last whole number in the address. The schedule runs year-round with no seasonal changes.
What hours can sprinklers run?
Not between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on any day, so water before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. on your assigned days. Public and private golf course greens and tees and professional sports fields are allowed to irrigate during that window to maintain play areas.
How long can sprinklers run on a watering day?
With non-conserving nozzles (spray head sprinklers and bubblers), no more than 8 minutes per watering day per station, for a total of 24 minutes per week. With conserving nozzles (standard rotors and multi-stream rotary heads), no more than 15 minutes per cycle, up to 2 cycles per watering day per station, for a total of 90 minutes per week.
Can I hand water or use drip irrigation every day?
Yes, with limits. Hand watering with a hose that has a self-closing shut-off nozzle is allowed every day, except between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Drip irrigation supplying a food source is exempt from the watering-day rules, and very low-flow drip (no emitter over 4 gallons per hour) and micro-sprinklers using less than 14 gallons per hour are exempt from the minute limits.
What is the fine for watering on the wrong day?
The first violation brings a written warning with no charge; there is no monetary citation without a prior warning. For water meters smaller than 2 inches, the next violations cost $100, then $200, then $300; for meters 2 inches and larger, $200, then $400, then $600. Violations are counted within the preceding 12 calendar months and penalties appear on the regular water bill. After a fifth violation, LADWP can install a 1-gallon-per-minute flow-restricting device or terminate service, after a hearing.
What happens when it rains?
No irrigation during rain and within 48 hours after a measurable rain event. This applies on top of the day and hour rules, so skip your assigned day if it falls inside that window.
Does the schedule apply to recycled or gray water?
No, the ordinance does not apply to recycled water or gray water. The condition is that use causes no excess flow or runoff onto an adjoining sidewalk, driveway, street, gutter or ditch.
My address says Los Angeles but my bill is not from LADWP. Do these rules apply?
No, these rules cover LADWP customers in the City of Los Angeles. Nearby and enclaved areas are served by other suppliers with their own schedules: Burbank Water and Power, Glendale Water and Power, Pasadena Water and Power, City of Beverly Hills (which also serves most of West Hollywood), Santa Monica Water, Golden State Water in Culver City, City of San Fernando, Long Beach Utilities, Las Virgenes MWD in Calabasas and Agoura, and LA County Waterworks or Cal Water pockets. Check the supplier named on your water bill.
How do I report water waste in Los Angeles?
Use the online Report Water Waste form at ladwp.com/waterwaste, call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397), or go through MyLA311 Online Services. The Water Conservation Response Unit is also reachable at wcru@ladwp.com or 800-544-4498. Provide the exact address, date and time, and a brief description.

Sources

WateringTimes is an informational gardening and landscape reference for California. Watering numbers are estimates computed from public state data. Nothing on this site is regulatory or professional advice of any kind. Check your water supplier’s current rules before relying on any schedule.