WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Mandatory scheduleVerified Schedule for October 2026

Elk Grove watering schedule 2026

Sacramento County Water Agency customers water by house number: odd numbers Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, even numbers Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Never 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Today
Odd addresses
Even addresses

Rules from: Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) (official schedule )

Elk Grove watering days by season

Year-round SCWA schedule

Three days a week
  1. MON
  2. TUE
  3. WED
  4. THU
  5. FRI
  6. SAT
  7. SUN

Odd house numbersEven house numbersTodayEarlier this week

No sprinklers between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on any day.

HoursNo irrigation from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Use the hours before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. on an assigned day (SCWA Water Efficiency page).
Off seasonSCWA's current page posts the same days and hours all year, for sprinklers and drip alike. Only recycled-water irrigation is exempt.
How the rule works

For Elk Grove homes billed by Sacramento County Water Agency, even addresses water Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; odd addresses water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. SCWA's current Water Efficiency page limits irrigation to before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. year-round. This page covers SCWA, the larger supplier identified by the city's Annual Growth Report, p. 14. Homes billed by Elk Grove Water District follow that district's rules.

Which Sacramento area supplier serves you

Many addresses with a Sacramento postal city are served by other suppliers with their own schedules. Check the supplier named on your water bill.

Odd numbers shown until you type yours.

Free printable calendar

Your Elk Grove watering days on one page. Free.

  • One page for the fridge or the garage door
  • The days for the whole year
  • An email when the schedule changes, if you want it

No account. One click to stop the emails. Your house number stays in your browser. How we keep your email

How many minutes to run sprinklers on each water day

One zone at a time, from the state climate table for Elk Grove and the month you pick. The plan does every zone for every month.

1 What do you water in this zone?
2 What waters this zone?
3 Which month?
October
4 Nozzle brand or soil

Which sprinkler do you have?

Why rain covers it

October asks this zone for about 37 minutes of sprinkler time a week, from the state climate table for Elk Grove. That is less than one run, so the sheet shows none.

Established plantings live on the season's rain. New plantings still want a hand watering in a dry week.

12minper watering day3 days a week in October
Per week
37 min
Zone
Lawn
System
Spray heads, 1.6 in/hr
Every zone, every month, one sheet. The plan prints this for up to four zones with Sacramento County Water Agency's days above.Get the plan for $19

Rules and fines in Elk Grove

Current stage SCWA's Water Efficiency page, updated September 17, 2026, posts a three-day schedule with watering from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and asks customers for a voluntary 20 percent savings goal. It names no shortage level. SCWA's 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, final June 2026, uses the same three days at its first shortage levels with narrower hours, and fewer days at higher levels (Table 5-3, p. 18). No declaration of a shortage level was found, so the schedule posted on the page is shown here.

The exceptions include recycled water, with conditions. The full text is below.

First: a warning. Then $100, $200 and $500 in any 12-month period.

Full text of the rules

Exceptions to the Elk Grove rules

  • Recycled-water irrigation is exempt from the watering schedule (SCWA Water Efficiency page, updated September 17, 2026).
  • No landscape irrigation with drinking water during measurable rainfall or within 48 hours afterward. This is a permanent state prohibition that SCWA lists on its Water Efficiency page.
  • No irrigation runoff onto adjacent property, paved surfaces, structures or non-irrigated areas. Vehicle-washing hoses need an automatic shut-off device, driveways and sidewalks cannot be washed with drinking water, and decorative fountains must recirculate (state permanent prohibitions listed on SCWA's Water Efficiency page).
  • If SCWA declares a shortage level, its 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan narrows the watering hours and, at higher levels, cuts watering days (Table 5-3, p. 18).

Fines in Elk Grove

  1. 1SCWA Code 1.25.030: first violation, warning; second violation in any 12-month period, $100; third, $200; each additional violation, $500.
  2. 2SCWA's 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, Table 7-1, p. 26, restates the same warning, $100, $200 and $500 ladder under SCWA Code Chapter 1.25.

Report water waste

Use the Report Water Waste form linked from SCWA's Water Efficiency page at https://waterwastereporting.saccounty.gov. Confirm the supplier on the water bill before submitting a report.

Here a penalty starts at $100, after a warning. The personal watering plan prints your days and the minutes for every zone, every month, for $19 once. See the plan

Elk Grove watering questions

Why does this Elk Grove page cover SCWA instead of Elk Grove Water District?

The city's 2024 Annual Growth Report, presented September 10, 2025, p. 14, identifies SCWA as the majority supplier. City utility guidance assigns SCWA the area west of Highway 99 or north of Sheldon Road. Many homes east of Highway 99 instead receive EGWD bills.

Can SCWA's Elk Grove watering hours change in a shortage?

They can. SCWA's 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan narrows the hours at its first shortage levels, cuts watering days at higher levels and bans outdoor irrigation at the most severe levels (Table 5-3, p. 18). No shortage level is declared on SCWA's current page, so the posted 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. schedule applies.

Does SCWA exempt every drip-irrigated Elk Grove yard?

No. SCWA's current page applies the schedule to sprinklers and drip alike. Only irrigation with recycled water is exempt from the schedule.

Is Elk Grove under a declared water shortage?

No shortage level is named on SCWA's current Water Efficiency page. Its voluntary 20 percent savings goal is a request, not a declared level. SCWA's 2025 plan uses the same three days at its first shortage levels, with narrower hours.

What fines apply to SCWA watering violations?

SCWA Code 1.25.030 sets a warning first, then $100 for a second violation, $200 for a third and $500 for each additional violation in any 12-month period. SCWA's 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, Table 7-1, repeats the same ladder.

Do SCWA customers skip an assigned day after rainfall?

Yes. SCWA's Water Efficiency page lists the state's permanent ban on watering landscapes with drinking water during measurable rainfall and for 48 hours afterward.

Where should an Elk Grove SCWA customer report water waste?

Use SCWA's Report Water Waste form linked from its Water Efficiency page. Check the retail name on the bill first: an EGWD account remains an EGWD account even where that district buys wholesale water from SCWA.

Sources and verification

Rules checked October 2026. The schedule is watched for changes and updated when the supplier changes it.

Water supplier: Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) (official schedule )

All 5 sources

Nearby water suppliers

SacramentoCity of Sacramento Department of UtilitiesMandatory: 2 days/week by address parity (Mar-Oct), 1 day/week in winterCity water
West SacramentoCity of West SacramentoMandatory: 3 days/week by address parity, year-round; no watering MondayCity water
Sacramento SuburbanSacramento Suburban Water DistrictNo set days; 3 days/week recommended by address parityWater district
Citrus HeightsCitrus Heights Water DistrictNo assigned days or clock window; Normal-stage waste rules apply year-roundWater district

The name on the water bill decides which rules apply.