Salem Water Restrictions 2026
Marion County · Oregon
Published:
Restrictions Active - Stage 1 Water Shortage Watch
2
Days/Week
Before 10:00 AM
Allowed Hours
$100 first offense
Max Fine
Find Your Watering Day
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| Address Ending | Watering Day |
|---|---|
| Odd | Tuesday & Saturday |
| Even | Wednesday & Sunday |
Allowed Watering Hours
No outdoor irrigation between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Stage 1 restricts irrigation to 2 days/week (baseline is unrestricted during normal years). No irrigation Monday, Thursday, or Friday.
Still Allowed
💧 Hand Watering
Allowed with shut-off nozzle. Hours: Any day with a shut-off nozzle.
🌿 Drip Irrigation
Exempt from day-of-week limits. Must follow allowed hours.
Fines & Enforcement
$100 first offense
City of Salem Public Works issues warnings on first detection. Second offense within 12 months: $100. Third+: $250. Commercial properties face up to $1,000. Salem's Water Conservation team prefers education-first enforcement.
Citations begin April 2026🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
Oregon Revised Statute 94.783 prohibits HOAs from enforcing lawn appearance standards during a declared water shortage. Salem's Stage 1 Water Shortage Watch is the qualifying declaration.
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 Salem Public Works'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
Salem sources drinking water from the North Santiam River via the Geren Island treatment facility. North Santiam flows ran 31% below the historical April average as of early 2026, reflecting the third consecutive below-normal Cascade snowpack winter. Detroit Lake, the key upstream reservoir, is at 71% capacity, 14 percentage points below normal. The city activated Stage 1 proactively in April 2026 to build margin for summer peak demand.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Salem area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are well below seasonal targets, necessitating mandatory conservation measures.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Salem Water Restrictions
11 tips tailored for Salem homeowners during Stage 1 Water Shortage Watch restrictions.
Willamette Valley cool-season lawns (tall fescue, perennial ryegrass) handle 2 days/week in Salem's climate, water deeply every scheduled cycle.
Mow to 3.5 inches in summer and leave clippings; the natural mulch cuts evaporation by 25%.
Use a smart controller with PNW ET preset, Salem offers $50 rebates on WaterSense-labeled units.
Replace front-yard turf with Willamette Valley natives: Kinnikinnick, Oregon Stonecrop, Sword Fern, all work on 2 days/week indefinitely.
Drip-irrigate vegetable beds and fruit trees; Salem's clay soil benefits from slow subsurface delivery.
Convert overhead spray to high-efficiency rotary nozzles, saves 30% on typical Salem front lawns.
Take advantage of Salem's 40"+ annual rainfall to refill rainwater cisterns for summer landscape use.
Fix leaks within 48 hours, Salem's Public Works team does free leak audits for residential customers.
Skip irrigation cycles after any 0.25"+ rainfall from June to September.
Group irrigation by hydrozone: turf on one valve, trees on another, shrubs on a third, simplifies Stage 1 compliance zone-by-zone.
Track weekly use at cityofsalem.net 'My Account', Stage 1 targets 10% reduction versus prior August baseline.
Salem Water Restriction FAQs
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