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WateringTimes

City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities

Fresno Watering Schedule

Mandatory scheduleRules verified August 26, 2026

Your watering days

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

April 1 to October 31. No watering on Mondays, and never between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day.

November 1 to March 31: one day per week. Odd-ending addresses water on Saturday, even-ending addresses on Sunday, never between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

City of Fresno customers water three days a week from April 1 to October 31: addresses ending in an odd number on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, addresses ending in an even number on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Watering is never allowed on Mondays or between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day. From November 1 to March 31, watering drops to one day per week: odd-ending addresses on Saturday, even-ending addresses on Sunday, with the same hour ban. Drip irrigation of fruit and vegetable gardens and fruit trees is permitted any day.

How many minutes on each watering day

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

Climate data

Fresno · 57 in/yr

Watering days allowed this month

3 per week (April through October)

About 29 minutes per watering day, 3 days a week.

That splits the week across the 3 days City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities allows in July, so the schedule fits the rules instead of fighting them.

How that was worked out

Week's climate demand: 9.1 in for July × 7 ÷ 31 days = 2.055 in

Plants need: 2.055 × 0.8 = 1.644 in this week

Run time: 1.644 ÷ (1.6 in/hr × 0.7) × 60 = 88 min per week

Split: 88 ÷ 3 watering days = 29 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

Annual Outdoor Water Use Schedule (normal conditions). The city's current schedule page and its April 2026 utility-bill insert announce the regular three-day summer schedule with no drought stage named. Under FMC 6-501(ww) the schedule is set by the city's adopted Water Shortage Contingency Plan (4 stages); the WSCP stage-status page and Appendix J PDF were WAF-blocked, so a formally declared stage name could not be verified from a live city page.

The schedule

Summer - Three-Day Outdoor Water Use Schedule

April 1 - October 31 (as printed on the city's Annual Outdoor Water Use Schedule and the April 2026 bill insert: 'The 3-Day Outdoor Water Use Schedule runs through October 31')

Days: Addresses ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9): Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. Addresses ending in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, 8): Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays. No watering on Mondays.

Hours: 'Watering is not allowed on Mondays and NEVER between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., on any day' (city schedule page); insert wording: 'No watering on Mondays or any day between 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.'

Run-time limits: None printed. Fresno uses no per-station minute limits; instead FMC 6-501(vv) defines 'Excessive Water Use' as exceeding a stage-dependent flow (Stage 1: 400 gal/hr recommended; Stage 2: 400; Stage 3: 350; Stage 4: 300) during prohibited days/hours more than one day per monthly billing period.

Winter - One-Day Outdoor Water Use Schedule

November 1 - March 31 (as printed on the city's Annual Outdoor Water Use Schedule PDF linked from the current schedule page)

Days: Addresses ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9): Saturdays. Addresses ending in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, 8): Sundays. 'NEVER Monday through Friday.'

Hours: 'Customers cannot water between 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.'

Run-time limits: None printed (same Excessive Water Use gallons-per-hour definition applies).

Exemptions and always-on rules

  • Drip irrigation of community and residential fruit and vegetable gardens and fruit trees is permitted any day of the week (FMC 6-520(b)); 'drip irrigation system' means non-spray, low-pressure, low-volume emitters under 4 gallons per hour. A formal garden exemption after a citation requires: water use at or below the single-family class monthly average, system in good working order, used primarily for the garden, no flood irrigation or runoff, drip only, property 1/4 acre or smaller (larger properties may apply to the Director).
  • Annual Exemptions to the schedule by application (FMC 6-520(a)(6)(i)): properties with multiple addresses, school and park facilities, and properties without street addresses; granted exemptions expire December 31 each year.
  • Short-term Exemptions up to one month (FMC 6-520(a)(6)(ii)): properties with new lawns not yet established, and bona fide uses such as solar panel cleaning or other use necessary for health or preservation of property; apply at least 48 hours before the use that falls outside the schedule.
  • Hoses/watering devices must have an automatic shut-off device or a person in immediate attendance (FMC 6-520(a)(7)).
  • Vehicle, trailer, or boat washing only from a bucket or at a commercial car wash; a hose with a shut-off nozzle may be used for a quick rinse without runoff (FMC 6-520(a)(8)).
  • Washing sidewalks, driveways, patios and other paved areas is prohibited except for public health and safety reasons at public gathering places (FMC 6-520(a)(9)).
  • Fountains/decorative water features only with recirculating systems (FMC 6-520(a)(10)).
  • Potable irrigation of ornamental turf on public street medians prohibited unless the turf serves a community function, is watered incidentally by tree irrigation, or uses recycled water; median trees and shrubs may be irrigated (FMC 6-520(a)(11)).
  • No landscape irrigation during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall (FMC 6-520(a)(12)).
  • Pools: topping off established pools only during the address's allowed watering times; filling new/refurbished pools requires a pool fill permit from the Water Division; draining limited to once every three years with a written application 48 hours ahead (FMC 6-520(a)(16)-(18)).
  • No runoff onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, walkways, roadways, parking lots or structures (FMC 6-520(a)(1)); no leaking fixtures (a)(2); no willful or negligent waste (a)(3).
  • Note: the city's current schedule page and Annual PDF print no blanket 'hand watering any day' or 'smart controller' exception; hand watering is governed by the attended-hose/shut-off rule above.

Fines and enforcement

  1. 1st month with water-waste incident(s): Notice of Water Waste issued, no fine (Master Fee Schedule Amendment #590, eff. 2026-07-01, ladder unchanged from #585, 'Conditions of service work (related to Water Conservation, FMC 6-520(e))')
  2. 2nd month with incident: $25.00
  3. 3rd month with incident: $50.00
  4. 4th month with incident: $100.00
  5. 5th through 12th month with incident: $100.00 per month
  6. Fines are added to the monthly utility bill (FMC 6-520(e)(2)); incident counts are tracked monthly and reset every January 1 (FMC 6-520(e)(3))
  7. Water waste in more than six consecutive months: water service may be terminated unless termination would create a health/safety risk (FMC 6-520(e)(4))
  8. MFS footnote: 'Fines shall not be imposed upon incidents of water waste recorded by the City's water meter reading system until the passage of a Council resolution authorizing such fines' (staff-observed incidents are finable)
  9. Three-step appeal: Water Conservation Program staff/Supervisor within 30 days of the bill, then Director of Public Utilities, then the City's Administrative Hearing Officer (final) - FMC 6-520(e)(5)

Report water waste: Water Conservation Program: (559) 621-5480 or the city's online water-waste reporting form (per DPU FAQ); general city channel FresGO 311 app / call 3-1-1 or (559) 621-2489 (printed on the schedule page and the April 2026 bill insert); [email protected] appears on DPU conservation pages. Watering rules shortlink: Fresno.gov/Water.

Is this your water supplier?

Bakman Water Company (southeast Fresno and Rolling Hills pockets, per bakmanwater.com), City of Clovis (adjoining city to the northeast), Pinedale County Water District (Pinedale area, north Fresno), Malaga County Water District (south), and Fresno County waterworks districts in unincorporated islands - their customers follow different rules.

Questions people ask

What days can I water in Fresno?
From April 1 to October 31, addresses ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and addresses ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) water on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. No outdoor watering is allowed on Mondays. From November 1 to March 31, watering is one day per week: odd-ending addresses on Saturday, even-ending addresses on Sunday, never Monday through Friday.
What hours can sprinklers run?
Watering is never allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day, in summer or winter. On your assigned days, run sprinklers before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
Can I hand water or use drip irrigation any day?
Drip irrigation of community and residential fruit and vegetable gardens and fruit trees is permitted any day of the week. The city defines drip as non-spray, low-pressure, low-volume emitters under 4 gallons per hour. Fresno prints no blanket hand-watering exception: any hose or watering device must have an automatic shut-off or a person in immediate attendance, and the day and hour rules still apply to lawns and ornamental plants.
What is the fine for watering on the wrong day?
Fresno counts water-waste incidents by month. The first month with an incident brings a Notice of Water Waste and no fine, the second month $25.00, the third $50.00, the fourth $100.00, and the fifth through twelfth month $100.00 per month. Fines are added to the monthly utility bill, and the count resets every January 1. Incidents recorded only by the city's water meter reading system are not fined until the City Council authorizes that by resolution; staff-observed incidents are finable. After water waste in more than six consecutive months the city can terminate water service unless that would create a health or safety risk.
What happens when it rains?
The city code prohibits landscape irrigation during measurable rainfall and for 48 hours after it. That means skipping your assigned watering day when it rains.
Can I wash my car or my driveway?
Vehicles, trailers and boats are washed only from a bucket or at a commercial car wash, though a hose with a shut-off nozzle is allowed for a quick rinse without runoff. Washing sidewalks, driveways, patios and other paved areas is prohibited except for public health and safety reasons at public gathering places.
I just planted a new lawn. Can I water it more often?
Yes, by application. The city gives short-term exemptions of up to one month for new lawns that are not yet established, and for bona fide uses such as solar panel cleaning; apply at least 48 hours ahead. Properties with multiple addresses, school and park facilities, and properties without street addresses can apply for annual exemptions, which expire December 31 each year.
My address says Fresno but these rules do not match my bill. Why?
Some Fresno-area addresses are served by other suppliers with their own rules: Bakman Water Company in southeast Fresno and Rolling Hills, the City of Clovis to the northeast, Pinedale County Water District in north Fresno, Malaga County Water District to the south, and Fresno County waterworks districts in unincorporated islands. Check the supplier named on your water bill before following this schedule.
How do I report water waste in Fresno?
Call the Water Conservation Program at (559) 621-5480 or use the city's online water-waste reporting form. You can also use the FresGO 311 app, call 3-1-1 or (559) 621-2489, or email [email protected]. Include the address and the days and times you saw the waste.

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.