Surrey Water Restrictions 2026
Published: May 1, 2026 · Updated:
Metro Vancouver Regional District · British Columbia
Restrictions Active - Stage 2 - Lawn Watering Still Banned (in effect from July 16, 2026)
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Lawn Days/Week
Lawn: Prohibited every day
Allowed Hours
Set by Surrey's own bylaw; confirm the amount on the city page
Fine
What is banned
Metro Vancouver returned to Stage 2 on July 16, 2026, down from the Stage 3 that had been in effect since June 8. The downgrade is infrastructure-driven, not rain: the First Narrows Crossing, a key North Shore water supply pipe, is back in service after critical work on the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel Project. IMPORTANT: all residential and non-residential lawn watering REMAINS BANNED at Stage 2. What Stage 2 restored, and Stage 3 had prohibited: sprinklers may run 5 to 9 a.m. on any day for trees, shrubs and flowers (never lawns); soaker hoses, hand watering and drip are allowed any time; and vegetable gardens may be watered any time. New-lawn and chafer-beetle watering permits are still not issued. Stage 2 holds through October 15, 2026 unless changed. Lawn watering is banned every day in Surrey under Metro Vancouver Stage 2. Trees, shrubs, and flowers may be watered 5:00 AM – 9:00 AM by sprinkler, or any time by hand watering with an automatic shut-off nozzle or by drip irrigation. Vegetable gardens may be watered any time. Filling water features and operating non-switched water spray parks are also banned.
What is still allowed
💧 Hand watering
Trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable gardens - any time with a hand-held hose fitted with an automatic shut-off nozzle. Lawn hand watering is also banned.
🌿 Drip irrigation & soaker hoses
Permitted any time. Drip is exempt from sprinkler hour windows.
🥬 Vegetable gardens
Watering vegetable gardens by hand or drip is permitted at any time, even during the strictest stages.
🪣 Rain barrels
Rainwater collected on your own property is unrestricted and may be used at any time for any purpose.
Fines & enforcement
Set by Surrey's own bylaw; confirm the amount on the city page
Metro Vancouver sets the regional stage; Surrey enforces it under its own bylaw and sets its own fine. We have not verified Surrey's specific fine amount, so confirm it on the city's own watering page before assuming a figure.
Effective: July 16, 2026 (returned to Stage 2 from Stage 3)🏠 Strata rules
BC strata corporations cannot fine residents or owners for brown or dormant lawns during active regional water restrictions. A strata bylaw requiring lawn watering in conflict with Metro Vancouver Stage 2 is unenforceable under the BC Strata Property Act.
Why these restrictions exist in Surrey
Surrey is under Metro Vancouver Stage 2 water restrictions effective May 1, 2026. All residential and non-residential lawn watering is banned - including schools, city parks, and grass boulevards. Topping up or filling fountains and water features is also banned, as well as operating water spray parks unless equipped with user-activated switches. Trees, shrubs, and flowers may be watered by sprinkler from 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM any day, or any time by hand watering or drip irrigation. Vegetable gardens can be watered at any time. Hoses must have automatic shut-off nozzles. Surrey is BC's second-largest city by population (~570K) and the largest Metro Vancouver suburb by land area. The city enforces Metro Vancouver restrictions under the Drinking Water Conservation Bylaw. No special water permits are issued during Stage 2 or stricter restrictions. Stage 3 is anticipated in early June 2026, which would ban all automatic irrigation including for trees, shrubs, and flowers. Note: nearby White Rock maintains an independent water supply (the Sunnyside Aquifer) and is at Stage 1, not Stage 2. For more information, call Surrey Water at 604-591-4340 (option 5) or visit surrey.ca/water-restrictions.
How to keep your Surrey lawn alive
10 tips for Surrey homeowners.
Let your Surrey lawn go dormant - Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue (common in Surrey lawns) survive 4–6 weeks without water by going brown. The lawn recovers once autumn rain returns.
Mow at the highest setting (75–90 mm) and leave clippings on the lawn - taller blades shade the soil and cut evapotranspiration by up to 25%.
Do not fertilise during Stage 2 - nitrogen forces growth that the lawn cannot support without water.
Use the 5:00–9:00 AM sprinkler window for trees and shrubs only, not turf. Mature trees take decades to replace; a brown lawn recovers in weeks.
Switch container plants and flower beds to drip irrigation - drip is exempt from the morning window.
Install a rain barrel on a downspout - captured rainwater is unrestricted at every stage.
Mulch landscape beds with 50–75 mm of bark or compost to retain soil moisture between watering.
Surrey's Sunshine Hills, Newton, and Cloverdale neighbourhoods all share the same Stage 2 rules - there are no neighbourhood exemptions in Metro Vancouver.
If you live near the White Rock border, confirm which city your property is in - White Rock is at Stage 1 with its own schedule, not Stage 2.
Monitor surrey.ca/water-restrictions weekly through summer - Stage 3 (anticipated early June) would extend the ban to ornamental trees and shrubs.
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