Pahrump Water Restrictions 2026
Nye County · Nevada
Published:
Restrictions Active - Mandatory Hour-Based Watering Restriction (May 1 – October 1)
Hours-only
Mandatory, no day limit
Before 11:00 a.m.
Allowed Hours
Civil penalties under Nye County Ordinance 514 enforcement provisions
Max Fine
Find Your Watering Day
This city assigns watering days by property location, not by address digit. Find your assigned days in the table below.
Watering schedule by property location
| Property Location | Watering Day |
|---|---|
| All addresses (no day-of-week limit for established residential) | Any day, outside 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. |
Allowed Watering Hours
Nye County Ordinance 514 (adopted May 16, 2017) prohibits all sprinkler and drip irrigation in the Pahrump Basin between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. from May 1 through October 1 each year. The restriction is hour-based, not day-based, for established residential properties: any day is allowed outside the blackout. Drip irrigation is included in the prohibition during blackout hours.
Still Allowed
💧 Hand Watering
Allowed with shut-off nozzle. Hours: Any time outside the 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. blackout, with a hand-held hose fitted with a shut-off nozzle..
🌿 Drip Irrigation
Exempt from day-of-week limits. Must follow allowed hours.
Fines & Enforcement
Civil penalties under Nye County Ordinance 514 enforcement provisions
Enforcement is by the Nye County Water District in coordination with the Town of Pahrump. Complaints can be filed at 775-727-3487 or in person at 2340 E. Calvada Blvd. Suite 6, Pahrump, NV 89048. Civil penalties are set in the ordinance schedule and escalate for repeat violations.
Citations begin May 1, 2026🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
Nevada Revised Statutes §116.4225 prohibits HOAs from requiring residents to violate municipal or county water rules. Pahrump HOAs cannot require sprinkler or drip irrigation between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the May 1 – October 1 period, and cannot fine residents for brown turf that results from following Ordinance 514.
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 current restriction order from Nye County Water District. 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
Pahrump is an unincorporated town in Nye County, roughly 60 miles west of Las Vegas, with a population of approximately 44,000. Critical clarification: Pahrump is NOT in the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) service area. SNWA's Las Vegas-area watering schedule, including the Mandatory Watering Schedule by group and the 12-minute sprinkler method, does not apply to Pahrump. The water source is entirely different: Pahrump draws solely from the Pahrump Artesian Basin (Nevada Hydrographic Basin 162), a closed groundwater system with no Colorado River allocation. The basin is significantly over-allocated – more paper water rights have been issued than the basin can sustainably yield – which is why State Engineer Order 1293a now requires water-rights relinquishment to drill a new domestic well, and why Ordinance 514 layered the May 1 – October 1 hour-based restriction on top of voluntary conservation programs.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Pahrump area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are well below seasonal targets, necessitating mandatory conservation measures.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Pahrump Water Restrictions
10 tips tailored for Pahrump homeowners during Mandatory Hour-Based Watering Restriction (May 1 – October 1) restrictions.
Pahrump is not on the SNWA Las Vegas schedule – ignore SNWA group letters and the 12-minute method, follow Ordinance 514 instead.
The blackout is hour-based, not day-based: established residential lots can water any day, just never between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. from May 1 through October 1.
Drip irrigation is included in the blackout – running a drip zone at noon counts as a violation.
Mojave-edge climate with summer highs over 38°C – best watering windows are 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
If you are building or remodelling, design landscape under Ordinance 514 turf-area limits and prohibited-plant lists from the start; retrofit is expensive.
A new domestic well in the Pahrump Basin requires water-rights relinquishment under State Engineer Order 1293a – verify the available 2-acre-foot allocation before drilling.
Convert turf to native Mojave plantings (creosote, blackbrush, mesquite, brittlebush) – they need a fraction of the water of cool-season grass.
Apply 75 mm of decomposed granite or pea gravel as ornamental mulch; wood chips break down too quickly in Pahrump heat.
Install subsurface drip on shrubs and trees – topical drip lines crack in Pahrump UV within two seasons.
Report waste at 775-727-3487 or visit 2340 E. Calvada Blvd. Suite 6, Pahrump, NV 89048 during business hours.
Pahrump Water Restriction FAQs
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