Santa Rosa watering schedule 2026

Santa Rosa Water assigns no watering days and has no even or odd address rule. City Code Chapter 14-21, the Water Waste Regulations, bans wasting water rather than watering on set days, and the Water-Use Restrictions page says previous drought prohibitions are no longer active.

Santa Rosa Water recommends, but does not require, limiting irrigation to the hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., when evaporation is lower. The tip appears on the Water-Use Restrictions page and on the city's Monthly Lawn and Landscape Watering Schedule. No section of Chapter 14-21 sets watering hours.

Section 14-21.020 defines water waste as potable or recycled water used outdoors that causes runoff, or water escaping through breaks, leaks or equipment malfunctions that should have been found and fixed. The city's page lists leaking faucets, toilets and appliances, broken irrigation pipes, leaking irrigation valves, broken sprinkler heads, and runoff from overwatering or misdirected sprinklers. Section 14-21.030 says a customer shall not allow water waste.

Under Chapter 14-21, the first violation in a 12-month period brings a written warning. A second violation brings a $100 penalty, which can be removed if within 72 hours the customer starts finding and fixing the leak and sends evidence. A third violation costs $200, and a fourth and each later one $500. Waste that lasts longer than 72 hours counts as a separate violation, and Santa Rosa Water can also disconnect service. Penalties can be appealed to the Director of Santa Rosa Water and then to the Board of Public Utilities.

The city's Watering Recommendations page says state law prohibits irrigating within 48 hours of measurable rainfall. The State Water Board says its emergency regulation with that ban expired on December 21, 2023, and Chapter 14-21 has no rain rule. Watering soaked soil still tends to cause runoff, and runoff is banned under Section 14-21.030.

No later stage declaration was found after March 14, 2023, when the City Council adopted Resolution RES-2023-051, which rescinded the June 29, 2021 drought emergency and Stage 3 of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The Water-Use Restrictions page says previous drought prohibitions are no longer active. The 2025 plan, adopted June 16, 2026, has eight stages, and Stage 1 is voluntary. The Water Waste Ordinance applies in normal times and in every stage.

The 2025 Urban Water Management Plan says Santa Rosa Water's service area is the same as the city limits. Neighboring providers include the cities of Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Cotati, Sebastopol and Sonoma, the Town of Windsor, and the North Marin, Marin Municipal and Valley of the Moon water districts. Homes outside the city follow their own provider's rules, so check the name on your water bill.

Use the Water Waste Report Form in the city's online Form Center, or contact Santa Rosa Water at 707-543-3985 or watersmart@srcity.org. If the water comes from a neighbor's property, the form asks you to try talking to them first. Santa Rosa Water then contacts the property owner and offers education and resources on efficient irrigation.