Denver Watering Rules: Stage 1 Days, Hours, Charges and the Sod Permit

Last updated: August 31, 2026

What a watering violation actually costs

Denver Water can assess charges for watering violations under its Operating Rules, chapters 14 and 15, together with the Board’s Stage 1 Drought Declaration. For single-family residential customers the ladder is published and it is steep.

Violation	Charge
First	Warning
Second	$250
Third	$500
Fourth	$1,000
Continued noncompliance	Temporary restriction of water service, or suspension until the violation is corrected and outstanding charges are paid

Appeals go through Operating Rules chapter 16, and Denver Water accepts appeals only for violations that resulted in a charge. A warning cannot be appealed, because there is nothing to appeal.

The comparison that decides where to put your attention

Most Denver coverage this year has been about the drought surcharge. Put the two numbers side by side and the priority inverts.

Denver Water’s own worked example says that inside the city, a high user who does not conserve will see their bill rise by roughly $76 over a whole year under temporary drought pricing. A super conserver sees roughly $7 a year, or about $8 in a Total Service suburban district.

A single second watering violation is $250. That is more than three times what a full year of drought charges adds to the bill of the heaviest residential user in the city. The surcharge is a nudge. The violation ladder is the actual money, and it turns on something entirely free to get right: watering on the correct two days, outside 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

How the drought surcharge is actually calculated

Temporary drought pricing applies from May water use, reflected in June bills, through April 30, 2027, unless the Board acts sooner. Denver Water has not used this tool in more than twenty years, the last time being the 2002 to 2004 drought.

Tier	Residential drought charge	What it covers
Tier 1	Exempt	Essential indoor use. Each customer’s Tier 1 is set by the average of their own monthly winter use as shown on their bills.
Tier 2	+$1.10 per 1,000 gallons	Use above Tier 1 and up to 15,000 gallons a month, typically outdoor watering
Tier 3	+$2.20 per 1,000 gallons	Use above Tier 2 each month
Nonresidential	Tier 2 $1.10, Tier 3 $2.20	Separate schedule; irrigation accounts are charged $1.10 in winter and $2.20 in summer

Read the Tier 1 row again, because it is the part almost everyone gets wrong. Your exempt tier is personal, not a fixed citywide number. It is derived from your own winter usage, when irrigation is off. Two identical houses on the same street can cross into the surcharge at different volumes, and a household that used more water indoors last winter carries a larger exempt allowance into the summer. If you want to know where your own surcharge begins, the answer is on your winter bills, not on any published table.

For scale, Denver Water puts average residential use at 104,000 gallons a year, and the 20% reduction the Stage 1 declaration asks for would bring that to 82,000 gallons.

New sod, seed or plants: the permit nobody mentions

This is the single most useful thing on this page if you are installing anything this season. New seed, sod and plant projects are temporarily exempt from the two-day-a-week rule during establishment. Watering rules and normal rates, including drought pricing, still apply.

Plant type	Temporary allowance
New native grass seed	Up to 8 weeks
New sod, trees or shrubs	Up to 3 weeks

The mechanism is a Watering Establishment Permit, and Denver Water is explicit about when it is needed: for new landscape projects that require watering more than two days per week, or during the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Either condition on its own triggers it. Apply before the sod goes down, not after a neighbour reports the sprinklers running on a Tuesday.

Note the gap between the two rows. Native grass seed gets nearly three times the establishment window that sod does, which is a genuine argument for seed over sod in a drought year, on top of the water it saves afterwards.

Eleven Denver Water rules in force under Stage 1

1. Water only on your two assigned days, set by customer type and address parity.
2. Never between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., on any day, to limit evaporation.
3. Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vegetables may be watered any day using a hand-held hose or low-volume, non-spray irrigation such as drip. The 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ban still applies to them.
4. Do not water during rain or high winds.
5. Fix leaking or broken sprinkler systems within 10 days. That is a deadline, not advice.
6. Keep water off pavement, sidewalks and streets.
7. Use a hose nozzle with a shut-off valve when hand-watering or washing a car.
8. Personal vehicles may be washed any day with a bucket or a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle. Fleet and commercial vehicles are limited to once a week unless public health or safety requires more.
9. Residential power washing is allowed only on your assigned watering day, unless there is an immediate health or safety need, and cleaning without water should be tried first. Commercial power washing businesses have no day-of-week limit but must clean without water first and use high-efficiency equipment.
10. Large public landscapes may lawfully water more than two days. Parks, recreation districts, public schools and golf courses can operate under Denver Water-approved water budgets, cutting total use by 20% instead of following assigned days. A sprinkler running at a park on a Tuesday is usually compliant, not a violation.
11. Report water waste online or on 303-893-2444. Areas served by Master Meter distributors are reported to the distributor directly rather than through the map.

Winter watering, and why it is not optional here

Denver Water asks customers to keep sprinklers off until mid to late May, or later if it rains, and to hand water trees and shrubs if needed. That leaves a long stretch where the only water a landscape gets is the water you carry to it. Dry, sunny, windy Denver winters desiccate roots, and that dieback is what kills cool-season turf and young trees, not the cold. Soak lawns, trees and shrubs once or twice a month from October through March on a day above 40 degrees, with no snow cover and unfrozen ground.

Frequently asked questions

What days can I water my lawn in Denver right now? Two days a week under the Stage 1 drought. Even-numbered single-family addresses water Sunday and Thursday, odd-numbered water Wednesday and Saturday, and all other customers including multifamily and commercial water Tuesday and Friday. Watering is never allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

What is the fine for breaking Denver watering rules? For single-family residential customers the first violation is a warning, the second is $250, the third $500 and the fourth $1,000. Continued noncompliance can lead to temporary restriction or suspension of water service until the violation is corrected and charges are paid.

Is there a drought surcharge on Denver water bills in 2026? Yes. Residential Tier 2 use carries a temporary drought charge of $1.10 per 1,000 gallons and Tier 3 carries $2.20 per 1,000 gallons, on top of 2026 rates. Tier 1, essential indoor use, is exempt. It applies from May use on June bills through April 30, 2027.

How is my Tier 1 exemption calculated in Denver? Each customer’s first tier is determined by the average of their own monthly winter water use as listed on their bills, so the volume at which the drought surcharge begins differs from household to household rather than being a fixed citywide figure.

Can I water new sod more than twice a week in Denver? Yes, during establishment. New sod, trees and shrubs get a temporary allowance of up to 3 weeks and new native grass seed up to 8 weeks. A Watering Establishment Permit is needed for any new landscape project that requires watering more than two days a week or during 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Can I water my trees on a day that is not my watering day? Yes. Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vegetables may be watered any day using a hand-held hose or low-volume, non-spray irrigation such as drip, but not between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Can I wash my car during the Denver drought? Personal vehicles may be washed any day using a bucket or a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle. Fleet and commercial vehicles are limited to once per week unless more frequent washing is needed for public health or safety.

Why is the park down the street watering on a Tuesday? Large public landscapes such as parks, recreation districts, public schools and golf courses may operate under Denver Water-approved water budgets, which let them water more than two days a week while reducing total use by 20%. It is usually compliant rather than a violation.

How long do I have to fix a broken sprinkler in Denver? Ten days. Denver Water’s Stage 1 rules require leaking or broken sprinkler systems to be repaired within 10 days.

When does Denver return to three-day watering? Only when the Board lifts the current drought stage. The standard summer rule allows up to three days a week from May 1 to October 1, but the Stage 1 drought declared on 25 March 2026 holds watering at two mandatory days.

Denver Watering Rules: Data

Current rules as observed, with every change we have recorded since tracking began. Source of record: Denver Water.

Rule	Detail
Single-family residential, even-numbered address	Sunday and Thursday
Single-family residential, odd-numbered address	Wednesday and Saturday
All others, including multifamily and commercial	Tuesday and Friday
First	Warning
Second	$250
Third	$500
Fourth	$1,000
Continued noncompliance	Temporary restriction of water service, or suspension until the violation is corrected and outstanding charges are paid
Tier 1	Assigned watering days: Exempt; Essential indoor use. Each customer's Tier 1 is set by the average of their own monthly winter use as shown on their bills.
Tier 2	Assigned watering days: +$1.10 per 1,000 gallons; Use above Tier 1 and up to 15,000 gallons a month, typically outdoor watering
Tier 3	Assigned watering days: +$2.20 per 1,000 gallons; Use above Tier 2 each month
Nonresidential	Assigned watering days: Tier 2 $1.10, Tier 3 $2.20; Separate schedule; irrigation accounts are charged $1.10 in winter and $2.20 in summer
New native grass seed	Up to 8 weeks
New sod, trees or shrubs	Up to 3 weeks

Change log

First observed	Status	Rules recorded
2026-08-31	current	Single-family residential, even-numbered address: Sunday and Thursday; Single-family residential, odd-numbered address: Wednesday and Saturday; All others, including multifamily and commercial: Tuesday and Friday
2026-08-27	superseded 2026-08-31	Current stage: Stage 1 drought (declared March 25, 2026); Days per week (now): 2 assigned days (mandatory); Normal schedule: Up to 3 days per week (May 1 – Oct 1)

Last checked: 2026-08-31. A new row is added only when the observed rules change, so this log records what changed and when we saw it.

Cite this: “Denver Watering Rules: Data,” updated 2026-08-31, https://denverprolandscape.com/denver-watering-rules/#watering-rules-dataset