Tempe Water Restrictions 2026
Maricopa County · Arizona
Published:
Restrictions Active - Stage 2 Mandatory Conservation - SRP + Colorado River Tier 2
2
Days/Week
Before 10:00 AM
Allowed Hours
$200 first · $400 second
Max Fine
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| Address Ending | Watering Day |
|---|---|
| Odd | Monday & Thursday |
| Even | Tuesday & Friday |
Allowed Watering Hours
No outdoor irrigation between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Stage 2 limits residential irrigation to 2 days per week (down from the 3-day permanent baseline). No irrigation Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday under Stage 2; commercial properties contact Tempe Water Utilities for the assigned commercial schedule.
Still Allowed
💧 Hand Watering
Allowed with shut-off nozzle. Hours: Any day with a hand-held hose fitted with an automatic shut-off nozzle, before 10:00 AM or after 6:00 PM.
🌿 Drip Irrigation
Exempt from day-of-week limits. Must follow allowed hours.
Fines & Enforcement
$200 first · $400 second
Tempe issues civil citations of $200 for first residential offences and $400 for second; commercial properties face up to $2,500. Tempe uses AMI smart-meter data to flag off-schedule consumption and dispatches Water Utilities staff for field verification. Report violations to Tempe Water Utilities at 480-350-2671.
Citations begin September 2025🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
Arizona Revised Statute §33-1902 prohibits HOAs from fining residents for brown or dormant lawns during a declared water shortage. ARS §33-1808 explicitly protects the right to install desert-adapted xeriscape. Tempe's Stage 2 declaration triggers these statutory protections, keep a copy of the city's conservation order if your HOA sends a violation notice.
If your homeowners association sends a violation notice for a dormant or brown lawn during the current restriction period, respond in writing citing the applicable law and include a copy of the City of Tempe Water Utilities's current restriction order. Most HOAs will rescind the notice once they are made aware of the legal protections in place. If the issue persists, contact your county’s code enforcement division for assistance.
Why These Restrictions Exist
The City of Tempe serves roughly 200,000 residents in the inner East Valley and is heavily dependent on Salt River Project (SRP) surface water and the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Colorado River allocation. Like Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert, Tempe shifted into Stage 2 in coordination with the Phoenix-area SRP framework when combined SRP storage dropped below the 60% trigger (currently 52%) and Lake Mead remained at Tier 2. Tempe Town Lake, a 2.5-mile reservoir on the bed of the Salt River through downtown, is filled from CAP and SRP exchange water and is itself managed under a conservation accord. Arizona State University and the city's commercial core are served by the same utility as residential customers, so business landscape rules track the residential schedule.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Tempe area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are well below seasonal targets, necessitating mandatory conservation measures.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Tempe Water Restrictions
11 tips tailored for Tempe homeowners during Stage 2 Mandatory Conservation - SRP + Colorado River Tier 2 restrictions.
Tempe's older neighbourhoods near Mill Avenue and Maple-Ash retain mature shade trees, prioritise those over turf with your remaining Stage 2 water budget.
Bermuda is the only practical summer turf in Tempe; accept golden winter dormancy rather than overseed with ryegrass.
Apply 3 inches of decomposed granite over ornamental beds, wood chip mulch dries within weeks under Tempe's low humidity.
Replace front-yard turf using the regional Water, Use It Wisely rebate framework; Tempe participates in the metro xeriscape conversion program.
Install subsurface drip on shrubs and trees, topical drip cracks under direct Arizona UV within 2 seasons.
Use a smart controller with the SRP/Arizona ET preset, WaterSense-labeled units earn Tempe rebates.
Cycle-and-soak on the East Valley's clay-loam and caliche soils: 2 minutes on, 30-minute pause, 2 minutes on rather than one continuous run.
Mow Bermuda at 1–1.5 inches in summer to shade the crown; raise to 1.5 inches under heat stress.
Fix leaks within 24 hours, Tempe's summer evaporation can waste 400+ gallons per night from a single broken sprinkler head.
Harvest AC condensate for potted plants and shrubs, a 3-ton AC produces 5–20 gallons per day in Tempe summers and is exempt from the schedule.
Track usage at tempe.gov via your utility account, Stage 2 targets a 10% reduction versus your prior-year baseline.
Tempe Water Restriction FAQs
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