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WateringTimes

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities

Sacramento Watering Schedule

Mandatory scheduleRules verified August 25, 2026

Your watering days

Wednesday and Sunday

March 1 to October 31. Water before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

November 1 to February 28: one day per week, Saturday or Sunday, at any hour.

City of Sacramento addresses water on two assigned days. From March 1 to October 31, even-numbered addresses water on Wednesday and Sunday, odd-numbered addresses on Tuesday and Saturday, and not between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. From November 1 to February 28, watering drops to one day per week, Saturday or Sunday, at any hour. Drip irrigation and hand watering are exempt from the day rules.

How many minutes on each watering day

Knowing the days is half the answer. This works out the minutes from Sacramento's climate for the month you pick, then splits them across the days City of Sacramento Department of Utilities allows, so the schedule fits the rules instead of fighting them.

Climate data

Sacramento · 55.2 in/yr

Watering days allowed this month

2 per week (March through October)

About 42 minutes per watering day, 2 days a week.

That splits the week across the 2 days City of Sacramento Department of Utilities allows in July, so the schedule fits the rules instead of fighting them.

How that was worked out

Week's climate demand: 8.6 in for July × 7 ÷ 31 days = 1.942 in

Plants need: 1.942 × 0.8 = 1.554 in this week

Run time: 1.554 ÷ (1.6 in/hr × 0.7) × 60 = 83 min per week

Split: 83 ÷ 2 watering days = 42 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

Normal year-round mandatory schedule. No water shortage declaration in effect as of 2026-08-25: the city's conservation pages show the base schedule and base fine table with no stage banner. City Code 13.04.910 lets council declare a shortage, which doubles penalties (13.04.890.E), but no named stage is currently posted.

The schedule

Spring and summer

March 1 to October 31 (page: "From March 1 to October 31"; code 13.04.870.C: "Beginning on March 1, and extending through October 31")

Days: Two assigned days by address parity: even-numbered addresses Wednesday and Sunday; odd-numbered addresses Tuesday and Saturday. No landscape irrigation on Monday, Thursday, or Friday (13.04.870.C.2-3). Applies to sprinkler/conventional irrigation systems.

Hours: Before 10 a.m. and/or after 7 p.m. only (code: no landscape irrigation between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., 13.04.870.C.1)

Run-time limits: None stated. Neither the city page nor the ordinance sets per-station minute limits by nozzle type.

Fall and winter

November 1 to February 28 (page: "From November 1 to February 28"; code 13.04.870.D)

Days: One day per week, on Saturday OR Sunday only; irrigation prohibited all other days (no weekday watering)

Hours: Any time of day (page: "at any time of day"; the 10 a.m.-7 p.m. ban in code applies only March 1-October 31)

Run-time limits: None stated.

Exemptions and always-on rules

  • City page exemption list (verbatim items): drip irrigation or soaker hoses; watering with a hose and spray nozzle; smart controllers that have been validated by City staff; potted plants; edible gardens; new landscaping, up to 30 days after installation; when there are two or more consecutive days above 100 degrees.
  • Ordinance detail, fully exempt from BOTH days and hours limits (13.04.870.E): landscape irrigation using a low volume irrigation system; irrigation of container plants; hand watering with a watering can or using a hose without an automatic timer; operation of irrigation systems solely for testing, maintenance, or repair.
  • Ordinance detail, exempt from the DAY rules but NOT the 10 a.m.-7 p.m. hours rule (13.04.870.F): new landscaping per 13.04.880; irrigation of a special landscape area; smart controller properly installed and operated as verified by the department; landscape irrigation during a heat wave period; alternate method authorized by the director with substantially equal conservation benefit.
  • New landscaping (13.04.880.A): any day of the week for 30 days after planting; director may extend in writing based on plant type and season. City FAQ: up to 30 consecutive days when new sod is installed.
  • Rain rule: no watering during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall (13.04.870.H); city page states it as 48 hours after one-eighth inch of rain.
  • Always prohibited regardless of day: water waste/runoff onto sidewalks or gutters, ponding (13.04.860); washing down sidewalks, driveways, or parking areas except fire/health/sanitation or IPM (13.04.870.A); vehicle washing only with an automatic shut-off nozzle on the hose or a bucket (13.04.870.B); fountains/decorative water features must recirculate (13.04.870.G).
  • Variance: email waterconservation@cityofsacramento.org or call 916-808-5605 to request a variance from landscape watering requirements.
  • City parks are allowed to water during the week (city FAQ); other city facilities should follow the schedule.

Fines and enforcement

  1. 1st violation in a 12-month period (page: within 365 days): written warning/notice of violation, no fine (code 13.04.890.A.1).
  2. 2nd violation in 12 months: $25 penalty; removed if within 60 days the owner/occupant attends a department water conservation seminar or accepts a Water Wise House Call (one such removal per premises per 24 months) (13.04.890.A.2; page: waivable by participating in a Water Conservation program).
  3. 3rd violation in 12 months: $100 (13.04.890.A.3).
  4. 4th and each subsequent violation in any 12-month period: $500 (13.04.890.A.4).
  5. Mechanics: violations on separate calendar days are separate violations; penalty is imposed on the property owner and added to the water bill; director may waive any penalty if within 120 days the owner participates in turf-removal, irrigation-upgrade, or smart-controller incentive programs (13.04.890.B); appeal within 30 days (13.04.900); all penalty amounts DOUBLE while a council-declared water shortage is in effect (13.04.890.E) - none declared as of access date.

Report water waste: Call 311 (or 916-264-5011), email 311@cityofsacramento.org, report online via the city 311 website, or use the Sac311 smartphone app; include days/times observed, the address, and any pattern (frequency/duration).

Is this your water supplier?

Addresses with a "Sacramento" postal city are often NOT city water customers: Sacramento Suburban Water District, Carmichael WD, Fair Oaks WD, Citrus Heights WD, California American Water, Golden State Water (Rancho Cordova area), Sacramento County Water Agency, Elk Grove WD, City of Folsom, and City of West Sacramento (separate city, Yolo County) all have their own schedules.

Turf rebate from the same agency

City of Sacramento Department of Utilities also pays by the square foot to take lawn out: $1.50/sq ft, up to $3,000 for a single-family home. The money is reserved before any digging starts, so the order of the steps matters more than the rate.

Program: River Friendly Landscape Program. Grass Conversion Rebate (City of Sacramento)

City of Sacramento turf rebate

Questions people ask

What days can I water in Sacramento?
From March 1 to October 31, even-numbered addresses water on Wednesday and Sunday, odd-numbered addresses on Tuesday and Saturday. Landscape irrigation does not run on Monday, Thursday or Friday. From November 1 to February 28, watering is one day per week, on Saturday or Sunday only.
What hours can sprinklers run?
From March 1 to October 31, not between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., so before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. In winter, the one weekend watering day has no hour restriction.
Does the schedule apply to drip irrigation or hand watering?
No. The city exempts drip irrigation, soaker hoses, watering with a hose and spray nozzle, potted plants, edible gardens, and city-validated smart controllers from the day rules.
What is the fine for watering on the wrong day?
Within a 12-month period: a written warning first, then $25, then $100, then $500 for the fourth and each later violation. The $25 penalty can be removed by attending a city water conservation seminar or a Water Wise House Call within 60 days. Amounts double while a council-declared water shortage is in effect; none was declared as of the verification date.
Can new sod or new plants get water every day?
New landscaping waters on any day of the week for 30 days after installation, and the department can extend that in writing. The 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. restriction still applies during that period.
What happens when it rains?
No watering during rain and for 48 hours after measurable rainfall. The city states the trigger as one-eighth inch of rain.
My address says Sacramento but these rules do not match my bill. Why?
Many addresses with a Sacramento postal city are served by other suppliers with their own schedules: Sacramento Suburban Water District, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, California American Water and others. Check the supplier named on your water bill.
How do I report water waste in Sacramento?
Call 311 (916-264-5011), use the Sac311 app or website, or email 311@cityofsacramento.org. Include the address, the days and times you observed, and how often it happens.

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.