WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Recommended patternVerified Schedule for October 2026

Sacramento Suburban Water District watering rules 2026

Sacramento Suburban Water District sets no required watering days. Recommended by house number: odd numbers Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, even numbers Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Required: never noon to 6 p.m.

Today
Odd addresses
Even addresses

Rules from: Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD) (official schedule )

Sacramento Suburban watering days by season

Year-round recommended pattern

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

Odd house numbersEven house numbersTodayEarlier this week

No sprinklers between noon and 6 p.m. on any day.

HoursMandatory: no watering from noon to 6 p.m. Water in the cooler morning or evening hours.
Off seasonNovember through February advisory: water two days per week or less; during the rainy season often no irrigation is needed.
How the rule works

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.

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.

  • Sacramento watering schedule: City of Sacramento Department of Utilities. 2 days/week by address parity (Mar-Oct), 1 day/week in winter.
  • Sacramento Suburban Water District watering rules (this page): No set days; 3 days/week recommended by address parity.
  • West Sacramento watering schedule: City of West Sacramento. 3 days/week by address parity, year-round; no watering Monday.
  • Elk Grove watering schedule: Sacramento County Water Agency. SCWA accounts: 3 assigned days/week year-round.
  • Citrus Heights watering schedule: Citrus Heights Water District. No assigned days or clock window; Normal-stage waste rules apply year-round.
An open envelope with a page of watering days, one day circled in red
Change alerts

Rules change. Get the new Sacramento Suburban days and hours by email.

  • We watch the published Sacramento Suburban 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 Sacramento 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
3 days a week
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 Sacramento. 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, every month, with Sacramento Suburban Water District's hours.Get the plan for $19

Rules and fines in Sacramento Suburban

Current stage 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 exceptions include drip irrigation, food gardens and smart controllers, each with its own conditions. A written exception can also be requested. The full text is below.

First: an educational notice. Then a warning notice, then a certified letter with no charge, then $50 and $100.

Full text of the rules

Exceptions to the Sacramento Suburban 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)
  • SSWD prints no exceptions for hand watering, new plantings or potted plants. With no mandatory watering days, such exemptions are not needed.

Fines in Sacramento Suburban

  1. 1First encounter - Notice of Violation (Education): customer notified and educated, Water-Wise House Call offered; no fine
  2. 2Second encounter - Warning Notice of Violation: warning that subsequent infractions will result in violations; no fine
  3. 3Third 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. 4Fourth 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. 5Fifth encounter - Third Violation: $100 service charge; notice states a 4th Violation may result in disconnection or reduction of water service
  6. 6Sixth 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. 7Violation 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 feedback@sswd.org.

Here a penalty starts at $50, after an educational notice, a warning notice and a certified letter with no charge. The personal watering plan prints the minutes for every zone, every month, with the hours, for $19 once. See the plan

Sacramento Suburban watering questions

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 feedback@sswd.org.

Sources and verification

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

Water supplier: Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD) (official schedule )

All 7 sources

Nearby water suppliers

Citrus HeightsCitrus Heights Water DistrictNo assigned days or clock window; Normal-stage waste rules apply year-roundWater district
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
Elk GroveSacramento County Water AgencyMandatory: SCWA accounts: 3 assigned days/week year-roundWater district

The name on the water bill decides which rules apply.