Skip to content
WateringTimes

Pasadena Water and Power (PWP)

Pasadena Watering Schedule

Mandatory scheduleRules verified August 27, 2026

Your watering days

Mondays and Thursdays

April 1 through October 31. Water before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

November 1 through March 31: one day per week, Mondays for even-numbered addresses and Tuesdays for odd-numbered addresses, still before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Pasadena Water and Power assigns watering days by street address number, and the schedule is mandatory under the city's Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan, in effect since September 2021. From April 1 through Oct. 31 it is two days per week: even-numbered addresses on Mondays and Thursdays, odd-numbered addresses on Tuesdays and Fridays. From November 1 through March 31 it drops to one day per week, Mondays for even addresses and Tuesdays for odd addresses. Watering is not allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day, and PWP publishes no per-station minute limits, so a run-time cap you see elsewhere for Pasadena is not from PWP's rules. PWP also does not serve every address with a Pasadena or Altadena mailing address, so check the utility named on your water bill.

How many minutes on each watering day

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

Climate data

Pasadena · 51.7 in/yr

Watering days allowed this month

2 per week (April through October)

About 34 minutes per watering day, 2 days a week.

That splits the week across the 2 days Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) allows in July, so the schedule fits the rules instead of fighting them.

How that was worked out

Week's climate demand: 6.9 in for July × 7 ÷ 31 days = 1.558 in

Plants need: 1.558 × 0.8 = 1.246 in this week

Run time: 1.246 ÷ (1.6 in/hr × 0.7) × 60 = 67 min per week

Split: 67 ÷ 2 watering days = 34 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

Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan (Pasadena Municipal Code section 13.10.045). PWP's watering schedule page states: "Pasadena has been in a Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan effective Sep 2021." No newer declaration, and no move to Level 3 or Level 4, appears anywhere on PWP's own site as of August 2026.

The schedule

Summer (two days per week)

April 1 through Oct. 31 (as printed on PWP's watering schedule page). The ordinance text reads "from April 1 through October 31".

Days: Two days per week, assigned by street address parity. "Even-numbered addresses may water on Mondays and Thursdays. Odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays and Fridays." The schedule applies to all residential customers, including multi-family complexes such as apartments and condominiums, and to businesses. Ordinance basis: 13.10.045.B.1, "limited to 2 days per week from April 1 through October 31 ... on a schedule established and posted by the department."

Hours: "All watering must be done before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m." The underlying permanent rule (13.10.032.B) prohibits watering or irrigating lawn, landscape or other vegetated area between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on any day, except by hand-held bucket or similar container, a hand-held hose equipped with a water shut-off nozzle or device, or for very short periods of time for the express purpose of adjusting or repairing an irrigation system.

Run-time limits: None. PWP publishes no per-station run-time limit and no minute limits by nozzle type. Neither the watering schedule page nor Chapter 13.10 sets any number of minutes per station, per zone, or per sprinkler type. The only equipment-specific figure in the rules is the drip exemption threshold of no more than 2 gallons per hour per emitter, which is an exemption test rather than a run-time limit.

Winter (one day per week)

November 1 through March 31. PWP's November 2025 notice says the schedule takes effect November 1; the City's own release says it is "now in effect through March 31". The ordinance text reads "from November 1 through March 31".

Days: One day per week, assigned by street address parity. "Even-numbered addresses may water on Mondays, while odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays." Ordinance basis: 13.10.045.B.1, "no more than 1 day per week from November 1 through March 31, on a schedule established and posted by the department."

Hours: "All watering must be done before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m." Same permanent 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. prohibition under 13.10.032.B, with the same hand-held and repair carve-outs.

Run-time limits: None. No per-station minute limit and no nozzle-type limits are published for the winter schedule either.

Exemptions and always-on rules

  • EXEMPT FROM THE WATERING-DAY LIMITS (Pasadena Municipal Code 13.10.037, exempt from the watering day limitations in Levels 1 through 4, as determined by the department in its sole discretion):
  • A. Landscape irrigation zones that exclusively use low flow drip type irrigation systems where no emitter produces more than 2 gallons of water per hour;
  • B. Watering or irrigating by use of a hand-held bucket or similar container, or a hand-held hose equipped with a water shut-off nozzle or device;
  • C. Watering for very short periods of time for the express purpose of adjusting or repairing an irrigation system;
  • D. Maintenance of trees as necessary to sustain their health and viability;
  • E. Maintenance of vegetation, including fruit trees and shrubs, intended for consumption;
  • F. Maintenance of landscape for fire protection;
  • G. Maintenance of landscape for soil erosion control;
  • H. Maintenance of plant materials identified to be rare or essential to the well-being of protected species;
  • I. Maintenance of landscape within active public parks and playing fields including playing fields on school grounds and at day care centers, provided that such irrigation is for the express purpose of maintaining the landscape in a condition required for recreation playing fields and athletic events, and does not exceed 3 days per week;
  • J. Establishment of newly planted drought tolerant landscape consisting of drought tolerant plants, shrubs, and/or native plants (defined in 13.10.020.E as a landscape area planted or replanted with native plants with relatively low water requirements or plants well adapted to arid climate, within the prior six months); and
  • K. Actively irrigated environmental mitigation projects.
  • SEPARATE CARVE-OUTS FROM THE 9 a.m. TO 6 p.m. HOURS BAN (13.10.032.B): use of a hand-held bucket or similar container; a hand-held hose equipped with a water shut-off nozzle or device; or very short periods of time for the express purpose of adjusting or repairing an irrigation system.
  • NOT PROVIDED: there is no hot-weather or heat-wave exception, no extra allowance for smart or weather-based irrigation controllers, no potted-plant or container-plant exception, and no general new-planting or new-turf establishment exception. New plantings are covered only where they consist of drought tolerant, shrub, or native plant material under item J. Edible plants are covered by item E.

Fines and enforcement

  1. First offense is educational. PWP states: "PWP will work closely with customers to provide helpful information and issue written warnings for first offenses."
  2. RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND ALL OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH METERS SMALLER THAN 1-1/2 INCH (Pasadena Municipal Code 13.10.065.B):
  3. First violation: written notice of violation, no monetary penalty. The notice states the facts of the violation, the possible penalties, and the customer's right to a hearing, and is mailed to the billing address.
  4. Second violation within the preceding 12 calendar months: $100.00
  5. Third violation within the preceding 12 calendar months: $200.00
  6. Fourth violation within the preceding 12 calendar months: $350.00
  7. Fifth and any subsequent violation: $500.00
  8. NON-RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS WITH METERS 1-1/2 INCH OR LARGER (Pasadena Municipal Code 13.10.067.B), which is exactly double the residential ladder:
  9. First violation: written notice of violation, no monetary penalty.
  10. Second violation within the preceding 12 calendar months: $200.00
  11. Third violation within the preceding 12 calendar months: $400.00
  12. Fourth violation within the preceding 12 calendar months: $700.00
  13. Fifth and any subsequent violation: $1,000.00
  14. Penalties are added to the customer's water bill and are payable at the same time and in the same manner as the bill. All penalty money collected is deposited in the water fund.
  15. PWP summarizes this on its own Report Water Waste page as: "Fine amounts range from $100 to $500 and are double for non-residential customers with meters of 1 1/2" or larger."
  16. FLOW RESTRICTOR (13.10.095): where necessary to achieve compliance, the department may install a flow restrictor of approximately 1 gallon per minute capacity for services up to a 1-1/2-inch meter, and comparably sized restrictors for larger services, after a minimum of 48 hours advance written notice of intent. The customer pays the department's charges for installing and removing the restrictor and for disconnecting and reconnecting service.
  17. HEARING (13.10.075): a customer receiving a notice of violation with a monetary fine, potential flow restrictor, or service disconnection has a right to a hearing before the department general manager or a designee. The written request must be received by the department within 10 days of the date of notification, or the right to a hearing is deemed waived. A timely request automatically stays the penalty until a decision is rendered.
  18. PENALTY ALTERNATIVES (13.10.075): with the general manager's concurrence, a customer may waive the hearing and instead choose one of the following in place of the penalty: complete a water efficiency training class offered by the department; complete all recommendations from a landscape audit; retrofit inefficient fixtures or irrigation systems; or timely complete another water savings program the department establishes. The same option cannot be elected more than once in a 12-month period.
  19. WILLFUL MISREPRESENTATION (13.10.090): willfully misrepresenting a material fact to the department to secure relief from Chapter 13.10 is punishable by a fine of up to $500, or up to 6 months in county jail, or both.

Report water waste: Pasadena Citizen Service Center. By phone at 626-744-7311, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online at http://ww5.cityofpasadena.net/citizen-service-center/. Or through the free "Pasadena CS" mobile app for Android and iPhone. PWP asks reporters to give the specific address where the waste is occurring, the date and time observed, and a description of the waste, with a photo optional. Reportable conduct listed by PWP includes outdoor watering at any time on restricted days or between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on allowed days, outdoor watering within 48 hours of rain, using potable water to wash down paved surfaces unless for safety or sanitation, an unrepaired leak or broken water system, excessive runoff onto pavement, gutters, adjacent property or walkways, and using a hose without a shut-off nozzle to water landscape or wash a vehicle. Fine waiver requests go to water_waste@cityofpasadena.net.

Is this your water supplier?

PWP does not serve everyone with a Pasadena or Altadena mailing address: neighboring and overlapping retailers include Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Rubio Canon Land and Water Association, Las Flores Water Company and Kinneloa Irrigation District in and around Altadena, Sunny Slope Water Company and Valley Water Company toward East Pasadena and San Gabriel, California American Water in San Marino, and the separate city utilities of South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Alhambra and Glendale Water and Power, each of which sets its own watering days, so customers should check the utility named on their water bill rather than their city name.

Questions people ask

What days can I water in Pasadena?
From April 1 through Oct. 31, even-numbered addresses water on Mondays and Thursdays, and odd-numbered addresses water on Tuesdays and Fridays. From November 1 through March 31 the limit is one day per week, Mondays for even-numbered addresses and Tuesdays for odd-numbered addresses. PWP applies the schedule to all residential customers, including multi-family complexes such as apartments and condominiums, and to businesses.
What hours can sprinklers run?
All watering must be done before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. The city code bans watering or irrigating lawn, landscape or other vegetated area between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on any day, with three carve-outs: a hand-held bucket or similar container, a hand-held hose equipped with a water shut-off nozzle or device, and very short periods for the express purpose of adjusting or repairing an irrigation system.
How many minutes can each sprinkler zone run?
There is no limit. PWP publishes no per-station run time and no minute limits by nozzle or sprinkler type, and neither its watering schedule page nor Chapter 13.10 sets any number of minutes. The only equipment figure in the rules is the drip threshold of no more than 2 gallons of water per hour per emitter, which is a test for exemption from the day limits rather than a run-time limit.
What is exempt from the watering-day limits?
Under Pasadena Municipal Code 13.10.037, the department in its sole discretion exempts irrigation zones that exclusively use low flow drip systems where no emitter produces more than 2 gallons of water per hour, watering with a hand-held bucket or a hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle, and very short periods for adjusting or repairing an irrigation system. Also exempt are maintenance of trees needed to sustain their health and viability, vegetation intended for consumption such as fruit trees and shrubs, landscape for fire protection or soil erosion control, plant materials rare or essential to protected species, active public parks and playing fields including school and day care fields up to 3 days per week, establishment of newly planted drought tolerant, shrub or native landscape planted within the prior six months, and actively irrigated environmental mitigation projects. There is no heat-wave exception, no allowance for smart controllers, no potted-plant exception, and no general new-turf exception.
What is the fine for watering on the wrong day?
First offense is educational: PWP issues a written notice of violation with no monetary penalty, stating the facts, the possible penalties and the right to a hearing. For residential customers and all other customers with meters smaller than 1-1/2 inch, the amounts within the preceding 12 calendar months are $100.00 for a second violation, $200.00 for a third, $350.00 for a fourth, and $500.00 for a fifth and any later one. Non-residential customers with meters 1-1/2 inch or larger pay exactly double: $200.00, $400.00, $700.00, then $1,000.00. Penalties are added to the water bill, and PWP can install a flow restrictor of about 1 gallon per minute capacity for services up to a 1-1/2-inch meter after at least 48 hours advance written notice, with the customer paying the install and removal charges. A written hearing request must reach the department within 10 days of the date of notification, and a timely request automatically stays the penalty until a decision is rendered.
What happens when it rains, and what else is banned year-round?
No watering during and within 48 hours after periods of rain, on any day of the week. Other year-round rules ban runoff onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, walkways, roadways, parking lots or structures, watering ornamental turf on public street medians with potable water, and washing down paved surfaces except to alleviate safety or sanitary hazards using a hand-held bucket, a hose with a shut-off nozzle, or a low-volume high-pressure cleaning machine that recycles water or a water broom. Decorative fountains and water features must recirculate, and vehicle washing is by hand-held bucket or a hose with a shut-off nozzle, which does not apply to commercial car washing facilities. Under the Level 2 rules a leak must be repaired within 48 hours of notification unless other arrangements are made.
My address says Pasadena or Altadena, but these rules do not match my bill. Why?
PWP does not serve everyone with a Pasadena or Altadena mailing address. Neighboring and overlapping retailers include Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Rubio Canon Land and Water Association, Las Flores Water Company and Kinneloa Irrigation District in and around Altadena, Sunny Slope Water Company and Valley Water Company toward East Pasadena and San Gabriel, California American Water in San Marino, and the separate city utilities of South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Alhambra and Glendale Water and Power. Each sets its own watering days, so check the utility named on your water bill rather than your city name.
How do I report water waste in Pasadena?
Contact the Pasadena Citizen Service Center by phone at 626-744-7311, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., online at ww5.cityofpasadena.net/citizen-service-center/, or through the free Pasadena CS mobile app for Android and iPhone. PWP asks for the specific address where the waste is occurring, the date and time observed, and a description of the waste, with a photo optional. Reportable conduct includes outdoor watering at any time on restricted days or between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on allowed days, watering within 48 hours of rain, washing down paved surfaces with potable water unless for safety or sanitation, an unrepaired leak or broken water system, excessive runoff, and using a hose without a shut-off nozzle. Fine waiver requests go to water_waste@cityofpasadena.net.
Isn't Pasadena one day per week all year?
Not now. The one-day-per-week rule applies only from November 1 through March 31, while April 1 through Oct. 31 allows two days per week. Both come from the Level 2 Water Supply Shortage Plan under Pasadena Municipal Code 13.10.045, which PWP states has been in effect since September 2021, and no newer declaration and no move to Level 3 or Level 4 appears on PWP's site as of August 2026.

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.