Western Australia Water Restrictions 2026

Find Your Perth Watering Days

Your allocated watering days are determined by the last digit of your street number or lot number. If you live at 42 Example Street, the "4" determines your days. For units or apartments, use the street number rather than the unit number unless Water Corporation has allocated a specific roster to the building.

This roster has been in force in substantially the same form since 2001 and applies year-round except during the winter sprinkler ban. The Water Corporation's website provides a postcode checker if you're unsure whether your property is covered by the scheme.

Allowed Sprinkler Hours

On your allocated days, sprinkler use is permitted only before 9am or after 6pm. The window is designed around evaporation — water applied during the middle of a Perth summer day is largely wasted before it reaches the root zone. Early-morning watering (5am–8am) is the most water-efficient period and delivers the best results. Each property is permitted one sprinkler session per allocated day; splitting the session into multiple short runs is permitted provided the total coverage stays within your allocation and falls within the permitted hours.

Winter Sprinkler Ban

From 1 June through 31 August, no sprinkler use is permitted in Perth, Mandurah, or the connected integrated supply area. The ban covers automatic sprinkler systems, pop-up irrigation, manual sprinklers, and bore-fed irrigation equally. Hand-held trigger-hose watering is permitted at any time during the ban, so you can spot-water newly established plants, wash a car, or keep garden beds alive during a cold dry spell. The ban exists because Perth's winter rainfall (typically 120–150mm per month in the peak) is more than sufficient for lawn needs, and saving water during winter means more is available for the dry summer when supply is most constrained. The fine for breaching the winter ban is the same $100 on-the-spot infringement as breaching the summer roster.

Bore Water Users

Since 1 September 2022, bore-water users have been fully aligned with scheme-water customers. The same two-day roster applies year-round and the winter sprinkler ban applies equally. Before this alignment, bore users operated on a separate alternate-day roster without a winter ban, but groundwater extraction studies showed the divergence was contributing to aquifer decline in key Perth groundwater reserves. Bore-water fines are identical to scheme-water fines — $100 on-the-spot — and Water Corporation inspectors check bore-fed properties as part of routine patrols.

What Still Works Any Day

The roster and the winter ban both target sprinklers and fixed irrigation systems. The following remain permitted every day of the year:

• Hand-held trigger-nozzle hoses, at any time of day
• Buckets and watering cans
• Drip irrigation and soaker hoses for garden beds (not lawn)
• Washing vehicles with a trigger-nozzle hose
• Filling swimming pools (with some volume limits during drought)
• Commercial nursery and agricultural irrigation under permit

Drip irrigation on lawn is a grey area — most lawn drip systems are considered "sprinklers" for the purposes of the roster because they apply water broadly rather than to individual plants. Drip irrigation feeding garden beds and trees is explicitly permitted at any time.

Fines & Enforcement

The fine for breaching the roster or the winter ban is $100 on-the-spot, applied equally across scheme-water and bore-water users. Water Corporation inspectors operate seven days a week during the summer peak, with reduced patrol frequency during the winter ban and autumn/spring shoulder months. Inspectors focus on obvious breaches visible from the street — a sprinkler running on a non-allocated day, a sprinkler running after 9am, or sprinkler use during the June–August ban. For first-time offences, inspectors typically door-knock and explain the rules rather than issuing an infringement immediately, though repeat offences draw progressive enforcement. Anonymous reports from neighbours account for a meaningful share of investigations, particularly during peak water-stress periods.

New Lawn Exemptions

Newly laid turf needs daily watering for the first few weeks of establishment, and the roster would otherwise make this impossible. Two exemption options are available:

• 42-day exemption (1 October – 31 March): daily watering permitted outside the 9am–6pm window for six weeks from the date of laying. Suited to the main summer establishment period.
• 35-day exemption (1 April – 30 September): daily watering for five weeks. The exemption covers the autumn and spring establishment windows and does not override the winter sprinkler ban — if you lay turf in May, the exemption applies up to 31 May and then the winter ban takes over.

Apply for the exemption through the Water Corporation website before the turf is laid. After the exemption period ends the normal two-day-per-week roster resumes; new Buffalo, Couch, and Zoysia lawns can generally transition directly to the roster at this point, while new Kikuyu benefits from an extra week of hand-watering to bridge the transition.

Regional WA Outside Perth

Regional Western Australia is a patchwork of schemes. North of Kalbarri an alternate-days-only rule applies in many smaller coastal towns — odd-numbered properties on odd dates, even on even. Towns connected to the Water Corporation's Area 2 integrated supply follow essentially the same two-day roster as Perth, though with slightly relaxed hours. Remote towns on standalone schemes (Kununurra, Broome, Karratha) have their own arrangements set locally. Mining-town schemes are often unrestricted because of their heavy industrial allocation. Check the Water Corporation website for your specific town, or contact your local water authority if you're not served by Water Corporation. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation maintains the regulatory framework state-wide.

WA Lawn Grasses & Water Efficiency

Perth's two-day-per-week roster makes grass selection one of the most important water-efficiency decisions a WA homeowner can make. Couch is Perth's number-one water-efficient warm-season grass — fine-textured, drought-tolerant, with deep roots that thrive on deep-but-infrequent watering. TifTuf Couch in particular uses roughly 25% less water than Buffalo at the same visual quality level, making it the best choice for water-wise new installations. Buffalo (Sir Walter, Palmetto) handles the roster well if each session delivers enough water to penetrate 100 mm into the soil — roughly 12 mm applied in a single deep session rather than multiple short runs. Kikuyu handles the roster well once established but its aggressive growth means more frequent mowing and edging than Buffalo or Couch.

Perth's sandy coastal soils are notoriously hydrophobic — they develop a waxy organic coating that repels water, causing irrigation to bead and run off rather than wet the root zone. Annual wetting-agent application in March or April is essential on all Perth lawns on sandy soils. Apply a quality soil wetter (Wettasoil, SaturAid, or equivalent) at the manufacturer's recommended rate, water in immediately, and repeat the application in October if significant hydrophobic patches persist. Without a wetting agent, water applied during your rostered days simply runs off and is wasted.

Frequently Asked Questions