Huntington Beach watering schedule 2026
City of Huntington Beach sets no watering days: water any day, but never 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rules from: City of Huntington Beach, Public Works Utilities Division (official schedule )
Huntington Beach watering days by season
Year-round
Any day- MON
- TUE
- WED
- THU
- FRI
- SAT
- SUN
No set daysTodayEarlier this week
No sprinklers between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on any day.
How the rule works
Huntington Beach does not assign watering days. Its permanent rules, in Municipal Code Section 14.18.050, prohibit watering lawns and landscapes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on every day of the year, so sprinklers run from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. Each station is limited to 10 minutes per day, and no watering is allowed during and 48 hours after a measurable rainfall. Hand watering with a handheld device or a hose with an automatic shutoff, and short runs to adjust or repair a system, are exempt from the hours. The city's pages declare no water shortage level today, and its 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan projects no drought shortage that would add limits.
Rules change. Get the new Huntington Beach days and hours by email.
- We watch the published Huntington Beach rules for you.
- When they change, one email with the new rule and the date it starts.
- Nothing else: a confirmation now, then only emails about these rules.
How many minutes to run sprinklers on each water day
One zone at a time, from the state climate table for Huntington Beach and the month you pick. The plan does every zone for every month.
- Per week
- 34 min
- Zone
- Lawn
- System
- Spray heads, 1.6 in/hr
Rules and fines in Huntington Beach
Current stage No water shortage level is declared on the city's current pages. The Water Conservation page lists only the permanent requirements of Municipal Code Chapter 14.18, which the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan says are effective at all times and do not depend on a water shortage. The 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, which went to the City Council with Resolution No. 2026-12 at the May 5, 2026 public hearing, says no drought shortage is projected that would trigger customer demand reduction actions until MWDOC, the city's imported water wholesaler, reports insufficient supplies.
The exceptions include drip irrigation, hand watering, smart controllers and fixing or testing sprinklers, each with its own conditions. The full text is below.
First: $100. Then $200 and $500.
Full text of the rules
Exceptions to the Huntington Beach rules
- Hand watering with a handheld device or a hose with an automatic shutoff device is allowed during the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours (2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, Table 8-3; Municipal Code Section 14.18.050).
- An irrigation system can run during those hours for short periods, only to adjust or repair it (same sources).
- Low flow drip type systems, water efficient stream rotor systems and sensor or weather-controlled systems are exempt from the 10 minute cap (2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, Table 8-3).
- Rain: no watering of lawn, shrubs or ornamental landscape during and 48 hours after a measurable rainfall (Water Conservation page).
- No watering that causes runoff onto an adjoining sidewalk, driveway, alley or gutter (Water Conservation page).
- No washing down sidewalks, driveways, patios or other hard surfaces. The 2025 plan allows it only to alleviate safety or sanitary hazards, with a handheld container, a hose with an automatic shut off device or a low-volume high pressure cleaning machine that recycles the water.
- Wash vehicles only with a hand held bucket or a hose with an auto shut-off nozzle. Fountains and decorative water features must recirculate water (Water Conservation page).
- Property owners are responsible for repairing leaks, breaks or malfunctions in their plumbing or irrigation system (Water Conservation page).
Fines in Huntington Beach
- 1First violation: an administrative citation of $100 under Municipal Code Chapter 1.18, which the City Attorney describes as an alternative to criminal prosecution for Municipal Code violations (Administrative Citation page).
- 2Repeat violation: $200 (same page).
- 3Continuing violations: $500 (same page). A citation can be contested at an administrative hearing at City Hall.
- 4Section 14.18.110 (Violation, Penalty), the water chapter's own penalty section, could not be read in its current form, so its penalty is not printed here.
- 5In practice, the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan says the city's water conservation coordinator investigates a complaint and then notifies the resident or leaves a water conservation ordinance brochure.
Report water waste
No dedicated water waste line is published. The Water & Sewer page says to report water issues online or call the Public Works Utilities Division at (714) 536-5921 during business hours; the city's Report An Issue page also takes complaints.
Here a penalty starts at $100. The personal watering plan prints the minutes for every zone, every month, with the hours, for $19 once. See the plan
Huntington Beach watering questions
What days can I water in Huntington Beach?
Any day of the week. Huntington Beach Municipal Code Section 14.18.050 sets no watering days and no even or odd address rule. It limits the clock and the run time instead: no landscape watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and no more than 10 minutes per station per day.
What time can I run my sprinklers in Huntington Beach?
Before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. The city's Water Conservation page says no automatic irrigation should be used between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan lists the same 9 am to 5 pm limit among the permanent rules of Section 14.18.050.
Can I hand water my plants in the afternoon in Huntington Beach?
Yes. The 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. limit does not cover watering by hand with a handheld device or a hose equipped with an automatic shutoff device, says the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan, Table 8-3. Short runs to adjust or repair an irrigation system are also allowed.
How long can each sprinkler station run in Huntington Beach?
No more than 10 minutes per station per day, says the city's Water Conservation page. The 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan exempts low flow drip type systems, water efficient stream rotor systems and sensor or weather-controlled systems from that cap. Runoff onto sidewalks, driveways, alleys or gutters is still prohibited.
How long after rain do I have to wait to water in Huntington Beach?
48 hours. The city's Water Conservation page says irrigating lawn, shrubs or ornamental landscape during and 48 hours after a measurable rainfall is prohibited, and the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan repeats it as a permanent action.
What is the fine for breaking the watering rules in Huntington Beach?
Huntington Beach can cite Municipal Code violations under its Administrative Citation program, Chapter 1.18, which the City Attorney's page calls an alternative to criminal prosecution: $100 for the first violation, $200 for a repeat violation and $500 for continuing violations. A citation can be contested at a hearing at City Hall. The penalty section of the water chapter, 14.18.110, could not be read in its current form for this page.
Is Huntington Beach still limiting watering days because of the drought?
No day limit appears on the city's current pages. The Water Conservation page lists only the permanent rules, with no watering days, and the 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan projects no drought shortage that would trigger customer demand reduction actions. If a shortage level is declared, that plan lists fewer watering days at higher levels.
Who supplies water in Huntington Beach, and how do I report waste?
The City of Huntington Beach Public Works Utilities Division supplies its own 27.3 square mile service area. Report water issues online or call the Utilities Division at (714) 536-5921 during business hours. The 2025 Urban Water Management Plan says the city formerly supplied Sunset Beach, so homes there should check the name on the water bill.
Sources and verification
Rules checked October 2026. The schedule is watched for changes and updated when the supplier changes it.
Water supplier: City of Huntington Beach, Public Works Utilities Division (official schedule )
All 6 sources
- Huntington Beach Water Conservation pageRead October 3, 2026 on www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/departments/public_works/water_and_sewer/water_conservation.php
- 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (Legistar item 26-355, Attachment 3)Read October 3, 2026 on huntingtonbeach.legistar1.com/huntingtonbeach/attachments/0089a834-d47e-4534-b436-6b82bd90a41c.pdf
- City Attorney Administrative Citation pageRead October 3, 2026 on www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/government/city_attorney/administration_citation.php
- City Council item 26-355 (May 5, 2026)Read October 3, 2026 on huntingtonbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7998071&GUID=800D1805-3D5E-4EF7-BD57-86F6542BA27E&FullText=1
- 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (Legistar item 26-355, Attachment 2)Read October 3, 2026 on huntingtonbeach.legistar1.com/huntingtonbeach/attachments/f10c1f86-1c99-4a6b-8262-8364cae8d79a.pdf
- Huntington Beach Water & Sewer pageRead October 3, 2026 on www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/departments/public_works/water_and_sewer/index.php
Nearby water suppliers
The name on the water bill decides which rules apply.