Outdoor water restrictions
When you can water your lawn and garden, based on your house number and the current stage.
Current stage: Stage 1. In effect since Monday, September 14, 2026, until further notice. No watering on Wednesdays at any stage.
Your watering days
Your days depend on your house number. Even-numbered addresses and odd-numbered addresses water on different days.
Water restriction stages
The City moves between stages depending on water supply. At every stage, pick one watering window on your day, not both.
| Activity | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watering days and times | 5 am to 10 am or 8 pm to 11 pm, three days a week. Even addresses: Monday, Thursday, Saturday. Odd addresses: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. | 5 am to 10 am or 8 pm to 11 pm, two days a week. Even addresses: Monday, Thursday. Odd addresses: Tuesday, Friday. | 6 am to 8 am or 8 pm to 10 pm, one day a week. Even addresses: Thursday. Odd addresses: Tuesday. | No outdoor watering |
| Vegetable gardens and edible plants* | With a handheld shut-off nozzle | With a handheld shut-off nozzle | With a handheld shut-off nozzle | No |
| Hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle, or an irrigation system (lawns, trees, shrubs, flower gardens) | 2 hours | 2 hours | 1 hour | No |
| Sprinkler (lawns, trees, shrubs, flower gardens) | 2 hours, morning or evening | 2 hours, morning or evening | No, except 1 hour with an automatic shut-off device or timer | No |
| Washing sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, building surfaces and windows† | With a handheld shut-off nozzle | No | No | No |
| Washing personal vehicles‡ | With a handheld shut-off nozzle | With a handheld shut-off nozzle | No. Commercial car washes only | No, including commercial car washes |
| Filling residential fountains, pools, hot tubs and garden ponds | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Watering new sod, seed, or grass outside the permitted restrictions§ | Permit required | Permit required | No | No |
- * Allowed at stages 1 to 3, except on Wednesdays.
- † Allowed at stages 1 to 3 when preparing a surface for paint, preservative or stucco, repointing bricks, or preparing to pave. At stage 4, only where needed to meet health or safety rules.
- ‡ Commercial car washes may operate at stages 1 to 3.
- § Apply for an outdoor water use exemption permit with the application formPDF, or call 311.
- Commercial, industrial and institutional properties (and City parks and fields) follow stage 1 rules during stage 2, and stage 2 rules during stage 3. They aren’t exempt at stage 4. Golf courses irrigating from their own wells aren’t affected.
Restrictions are set by the Outdoor Water Use and Regulation Bylaw. A programmable sprinkler timer makes it easy to follow the rules. The City offers a rebate on timers and rain barrels.
Page updated .