Cottonwood Heights Water Restrictions 2026
Salt Lake County · Utah
Published:
Voluntary Conservation (Statewide Drought)
No assigned schedule
Voluntary conservation
No mandatory hour restrictions; recommended between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. to limit evaporation
Allowed Hours
No fines
Voluntary, no penalties
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 mandatory schedule; voluntary 2-day-per-week limit recommended under Utah statewide drought |
Allowed Watering Hours
Cottonwood Heights sits at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon and serves as the gateway to Brighton and Solitude ski resorts, which gives it a uniquely layered water profile: residential foothill demand on top of canyon-fed mountain streams that also supply Salt Lake City. Because retail water service is split between Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities and the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (with some surrounding pockets on Cottonwood Mutual or Murray), there is no single citywide watering ordinance in 2026; residents follow whichever utility bills them. Under voluntary conservation, both SLC DPU and JVWCD recommend irrigating no more than two days per week and only between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. to limit evaporation off the east bench.
Still Allowed
💧 Hand Watering
Allowed with shut-off nozzle. Hours: Hand watering with a shut-off nozzle is permitted any day under voluntary conservation.
🌿 Drip Irrigation
Exempt from day-of-week limits. Must follow allowed hours.
Fines & Enforcement
No fines under voluntary conservation
No civil penalties are in place in Cottonwood Heights in 2026; both retail providers are operating on voluntary conservation rather than enforced restriction stages.
🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
Under the Utah Community Association Act, HOAs cannot prohibit waterwise landscaping or impose turf-only requirements that conflict with state conservation policy; with voluntary status in effect, homeowners along the east bench have wide latitude to reduce irrigated turf.
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 Cottonwood Heights area. 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
Governor Spencer Cox declared in late April 2026 that 100 percent of Utah is now in drought, citing a statewide snowpack that reached only about 60 percent of normal and peaked roughly three weeks early on March 9. The Governor has directed a mandatory 10 percent water reduction at all state facilities and is asking residents and local utilities to follow suit voluntarily.
The pressure is sharpest along the Wasatch Front. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall moved the city into a Stage 2 Drought Advisory on March 19, 2026, with a 10 million gallon per day reduction target. Stage 2 remains voluntary for residents but binding on city facilities, and the advisory directly shapes conditions in the Cottonwood Heights neighborhoods that buy retail water from SLC DPU.
Cottonwood Heights itself sits at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon and acts as the gateway to Brighton and Solitude ski resorts. The two creeks that frame the city, Big Cottonwood Creek and Little Cottonwood Creek, are the same protected canyon streams that feed Salt Lake City's Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood treatment plants, so residential lawn demand in Cottonwood Heights competes directly with municipal supply for the broader valley. A poor snow year also reduces revenue and snowmaking margin at Brighton and Solitude, which in turn shifts more recreational water demand into the spring shoulder season just as reservoir storage is thinnest.
Geographically the city is eastern Salt Lake County foothill terrain, with thin bench soils, steep south and west aspects, and afternoon canyon winds out of Big Cottonwood that all push evapotranspiration well above valley-floor norms. That combination is why a Stage 2 advisory in the city of Salt Lake matters for Cottonwood Heights even though no local ordinance has been enacted.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Cottonwood Heights area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are below seasonal targets, prompting regional voluntary conservation guidance.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Cottonwood Heights Water Restrictions
11 tips tailored for Cottonwood Heights homeowners during Voluntary Conservation (Statewide Drought) restrictions.
Cottonwood Heights lawns are predominantly cool-season Kentucky bluegrass and fescue blends; raise mowing height to 3.5 to 4 inches to shade the crown through July and August.
East-bench foothill soils are thin and gravelly over decomposed granite; cycle and soak in 8 to 10 minute intervals so water infiltrates instead of running down the slope.
Big Cottonwood Creek and Little Cottonwood Creek feed both Salt Lake City treatment plants and the wider valley; every gallon saved on a Cottonwood Heights lawn is a gallon that stays in the canyon system.
Service area splits between SLC DPU and JVWCD inside the city, so check your bill before assuming a watering schedule; the two utilities publish slightly different voluntary guidance.
Brighton and Solitude tourism keeps water demand elevated up-canyon all winter and shoulder season; pair voluntary conservation at home with shorter showers and full dishwasher loads to compound savings.
Afternoon downcanyon winds out of Big Cottonwood Canyon dry turf fast; avoid running sprinklers between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. when gusts spike evaporation.
Drip irrigation on shrub beds and parking strips is exempt from any voluntary hour windows and is the highest-leverage upgrade for foothill yards.
Convert south-facing and west-facing slopes to Utah-native and Localscapes plantings, serviceberry, rabbitbrush, blue grama, sulphur buckwheat, which thrive on canyon-mouth exposure.
Mulch beds 3 inches deep with bark or shredded wood to cut surface evaporation in half on the bench's coarse soils.
Install a WaterSense rain and freeze sensor; spring storms blowing out of Big Cottonwood Canyon can dump usable moisture overnight that an unmodified timer will ignore.
Check Utah Division of Water Resources and slowtheflow.org for the latest statewide drought stage before scheduling fall overseeding.
Cottonwood Heights Water Restriction FAQs
What days can I water my lawn in Cottonwood Heights?
What hours can I run my sprinklers in Cottonwood Heights?
What are the fines for water violations in Cottonwood Heights?
Can I install new sod or seed in Cottonwood Heights during restrictions?
When will water restrictions end in Cottonwood Heights?
Who actually supplies my drinking water in Cottonwood Heights?
Why is Cottonwood Heights on voluntary conservation when Salt Lake City is at Stage 2?
How do Big Cottonwood Creek and Little Cottonwood Creek affect my water supply?
Do Brighton and Solitude ski resort operations affect water available for lawns in town?
Will Cottonwood Heights move to mandatory restrictions later in 2026?
Get alerts for Cottonwood Heights, Utah
We will email you when Cottonwood Heights restrictions change – escalations, new stages, or lifted restrictions.
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
Other Utah Cities with Water Restrictions
Community Reports & Questions
Share an update, ask a question, or report a change in your local restrictions.
No community reports yet
Be the first to share a local update, ask a question, or report a change in your area's restrictions.