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WateringTimes

Sacramento Suburban Water District

Sacramento Suburban Watering Schedule

Recommended patternRules verified August 25, 2026

Your watering days

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (recommended, not mandatory)

Year-round recommended pattern (2026 Adequate Water Supply). Mandatory: no watering from noon to 6 p.m. Water in the cooler morning or evening hours.

November through February advisory: water two days per week or less; during the rainy season often no irrigation is needed.

Sacramento Suburban Water District has no mandatory watering days in 2026. The Board of Directors declared Adequate Water Supply Conditions on April 27, 2026, so customers are permitted to water any day of the week. The district still recommends three days per week or less: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday for even-numbered addresses, with no watering on Monday. Two rules are mandatory: no outdoor watering from noon to 6 p.m., and no irrigation within 48 hours of measurable rain of one-eighth inch or more.

How many minutes on each watering day

Sacramento Suburban Water District assigns no watering days, so nobody can tell you how many days to split the week across. Set the days you actually water and this works out the minutes from Sacramento's climate for the month you pick.

Climate data

Sacramento · 55.2 in/yr

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

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

Adequate Water Supply Conditions for 2026, declared by the Board of Directors on April 27, 2026 (means SSWD projects adequate water to meet 100% of projected customer demand). Regulation No. 15 stage ladder above this: Stage 1 Water Alert (up to 20% reduction), Stage 2 Water Warning (up to 30%), Stage 3 Water Crisis (up to 40%), Stage 4 Water Emergency (greater than 50%).

The schedule

Year-round under Adequate Water Supply (current 2026 declaration)

No calendar date ranges printed; declaration effective April 27, 2026 and remains in effect until rescinded or changed by the Board

Days: No mandatory watering days; customers are permitted to water any day of the week. Recommended (not mandatory): watering three (3) days per week or less; odd-numbered addresses Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday; even-numbered addresses Wednesday/Friday/Sunday; watering on Monday not recommended for all customers

Hours: Mandatory: outdoor watering from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. is prohibited (applies during Adequate Water Supply and all other water use stages). Watering during cooler morning and evening hours is directed. Irrigation within 48 hours of measurable rainfall (equal to or greater than 1/8 inch) is prohibited

Run-time limits: None stated by SSWD (no per-station minute limits by nozzle type on any District page or in Regulation No. 15)

Late fall / winter (advisory only, Outdoor Watering - Fall/Winter page)

November through February (mentioned as the low-evaporation period; not a codified date range)

Days: Advisory: reset timers to water two days or less per week as weather cools; when watering manually do not water more than two days per week; during the rainy season often no irrigation is needed

Hours: Same mandatory rules apply: no watering noon to 6:00 p.m.; no irrigation within 48 hours of measurable rain (1/8 inch or more)

Run-time limits: None stated

Exceptions and standing rules

  • Customers watering food grown for personal consumption (edible gardens) are exempt from any watering day restrictions in all Water Conservation Stages
  • Customers using a drip irrigation system (including subsurface drip irrigation systems for turf/lawn areas) are exempt from any watering day restrictions listed or determined by the Board in all subsequent Water Conservation Stages
  • Customers with a Weather Based Irrigation Controller (WBIC) registered with the District are exempt from any watering schedule in any subsequent Water Conservation Stage, provided the WBIC is in good repair and set to its intended weather-based operation; under Adequate Water Supply a registered WBIC may run at 100% of ET for the Sacramento area (80% of ET recommended)
  • Washing down sidewalks/walkways/driveways/parking lots/homes/buildings is prohibited EXCEPT as necessary for health, sanitary, or fire protection purposes; a written variance request may be submitted to the District (reviewed by Water Conservation Supervisor, granted or denied by General Manager or designee)
  • Vehicle washing is permitted only with a water saver nozzle equipped with automatic shut-off and a bucket, provided minimal runoff occurs on sidewalks or street
  • Water use permitted in all stage declarations (public health and safety): firefighting, routine fire hydrant inspection, fire training activities; abating spills of flammable/hazardous materials; preventing or abating imminent health, safety, or accident hazards when alternate methods are not available
  • General Manager may excuse a violation where compliance is beyond the customer's control and written justification/supporting evidence is provided and verified (Regulation No. 15)
  • Note: SSWD prints no exceptions for hand watering, new plantings, or potted plants (unlike the City of Sacramento's ordinance) - since there are no mandatory watering days, such exemptions are not needed

Fines and enforcement

  1. First encounter - Notice of Violation (Education): customer notified and educated, Water-Wise House Call offered; no fine
  2. Second encounter - Warning Notice of Violation: warning that subsequent infractions will result in violations; no fine
  3. Third encounter - First Violation: certified letter stating subsequent infractions will result in additional service charges; no charge. (Reg 15: a 1st Violation may be removed once per calendar year by participating in a Water-Wise House Call)
  4. Fourth encounter - Second Violation: $50 service charge added to next bill (Reg 15: avoidable by attending a water conservation awareness workshop at customer's expense plus a Water-Wise House Call if not already completed; at Stage 2 or higher, a permanent meter is installed on non-metered services)
  5. Fifth encounter - Third Violation: $100 service charge; notice states a 4th Violation may result in disconnection or reduction of water service
  6. Sixth encounter - Fourth Violation: Flat-rate (unmetered) customers - service discontinued, downsized, or a meter installed at homeowner expense (billing converts permanently to metered rate). Metered customers - additional charge of 25% of that month's water bill (1-inch or smaller service) or 50% (1.5-inch or larger service), and the District may discontinue or reduce water supply; restoration requires a Board hearing
  7. Violation records are expunged every January 1; each customer starts the new calendar year with zero water waste violations (Regulation No. 15)

Report water waste: Online Report Water Waste form at https://www.sswd.org/departments/conservation/report-water-waste (select concern type: Flooding Gutter, Watering During the Wrong Time of Day, Flooding Neighbor, Unattended Hose, Other; a Water Conservation Technician investigates). Water emergencies: call 916.972.7171. General questions: 916.972.7171 or [email protected].

Is this your water supplier?

City of Sacramento Dept. of Utilities, Carmichael Water District, Citrus Heights Water District, Fair Oaks Water District, San Juan Water District, California American Water, Golden State Water, Rio Linda/Elverta CWD, and Sacramento County Water Agency border or interleave with SSWD; Del Paso Manor Water District is no longer separate (merged into SSWD July 2025); SSWD's own report page links Regional Water Authority's "Be Water Smart - Who Is Your Provider" lookup for boundary confusion.

Questions people ask

What days can I water in the Sacramento Suburban Water District?
There are no mandatory watering days in 2026. The Board declared Adequate Water Supply Conditions on April 27, 2026, so customers are permitted to water any day of the week. The district still recommends three days per week or less: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday for even-numbered addresses, and no watering on Monday.
What hours can sprinklers run?
Outdoor watering from noon to 6 p.m. is prohibited. That hour rule is mandatory and applies during Adequate Water Supply and all other water use stages. The district directs customers to water during the cooler morning and evening hours.
What happens when it rains?
Irrigation within 48 hours of measurable rainfall is prohibited. Measurable means one-eighth inch of rain or more. This rule applies year-round, in every water stage.
Is anything exempt from the watering rules?
Edible gardens, meaning food grown for personal consumption, are exempt from watering day restrictions in all water conservation stages. Drip irrigation systems, including subsurface drip for lawn areas, are also exempt from day restrictions. A weather-based irrigation controller registered with the district is exempt from any watering schedule, as long as it is in good repair and set to its weather-based operation. Since there are no set days right now, these exemptions matter mainly if the Board declares a drought stage.
What are the fines for wasting water?
SSWD educates before it charges. The first encounter is an educational notice, the second is a warning, and the third is a first violation sent by certified letter with no charge. A second violation adds a $50 service charge to your next bill, and a third violation adds $100; the $50 charge can be avoided by attending a water conservation awareness workshop at your own expense, plus a Water-Wise House Call if one has not already been completed. After a fourth violation, metered customers pay an extra 25% of that month's water bill (50% for 1.5-inch or larger service) and the district can reduce or discontinue service. Violation records are expunged every January 1, so each customer starts the new year at zero.
Can I wash my car or hose down my driveway?
Vehicle washing is permitted only with a bucket and a water saver nozzle that has automatic shut-off, with minimal runoff to the sidewalk or street. Washing down sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, homes, or buildings is prohibited except as necessary for health, sanitary, or fire protection purposes. For other cases, a written variance request can be submitted to the district.
How do I know if Sacramento Suburban is my water supplier?
SSWD serves Arden/Arcade, Foothill Farms, McClellan Business Park, and portions of Citrus Heights, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, North Highlands, Antelope, and unincorporated Sacramento. Neighboring suppliers with their own rules include the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, Carmichael Water District, Citrus Heights Water District, Fair Oaks Water District, San Juan Water District, California American Water, and Golden State Water. Check the supplier named on your water bill, or use the Regional Water Authority's Be Water Smart provider lookup that SSWD links from its own site. Former Del Paso Manor Water District customers are now SSWD customers; the districts merged in July 2025.
Do the rules change in winter?
The mandatory rules stay the same: no watering from noon to 6 p.m. and no irrigation within 48 hours of measurable rain. From November through February the district's advisory is to reset timers to two days per week or less as the weather cools. During the rainy season, often no irrigation is needed at all.
How do I report water waste to SSWD?
Use the online Report Water Waste form on sswd.org and pick the concern type, such as flooding gutter, watering during the wrong time of day, flooding neighbor, or unattended hose. A Water Conservation Technician investigates each report. For water emergencies call 916.972.7171; general questions go to 916.972.7171 or [email protected].

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.