Murray Water Restrictions 2026
Salt Lake County · Utah
Published:
Voluntary Conservation under Utah Statewide Drought + SLC Stage 2 Spillover
No assigned schedule
Voluntary conservation
No mandatory hour restrictions; the City recommends watering between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. (avoiding hot midday) 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
Murray has a standing year-round ordinance prohibiting pressurized landscape irrigation between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., but it has not layered on any additional mandatory drought-emergency day-of-week schedule for 2026. Under the Utah statewide drought and Salt Lake City's Stage 2 spillover, Murray City Water is asking customers to voluntarily cut outdoor use by roughly 10 percent, water no more than two days per week through May, and shift irrigation to the cooler 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. window. Murray is one of the few Salt Lake County cities that does NOT buy wholesale water from Salt Lake City Public Utilities or JVWCD: the system is 100 percent supplied by Murray's own deep wells and McGhie Springs near Big Cottonwood Canyon, so the City sets its own conservation posture rather than inheriting SLC DPU rules. The Murray Power and Water combined municipal utility serves the streetcar-suburb core that bisects SLC County north-south along State Street and I-15.
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
Murray has not issued mandatory drought restrictions for 2026, so there are no drought-emergency fines. The spillover from Salt Lake City's Stage 2 Drought Response and the Utah statewide drought declaration is voluntary for Murray Water customers. The standing year-round 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. pressurized irrigation prohibition remains an ordinance violation, but is enforced through the existing water-waster notification program rather than emergency penalties.
🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
The Utah Community Association Act (Utah Code 57-8a) permits HOAs to regulate landscaping but cannot override municipal water ordinances or penalize a homeowner for following voluntary conservation requests from Murray City Water. Because Murray's 2026 drought posture is voluntary, HOAs in Murray neighborhoods retain wider latitude than they would in a mandatory-restriction city, so check your CC&Rs before letting Kentucky bluegrass go dormant.
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 Murray City Water'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
Governor Spencer Cox announced in late April 2026 that 100 percent of Utah is in drought, with the state's April 1 snow water equivalent measured at just 2.7 inches against a normal of roughly 14 inches. Statewide snowpack peaked about three weeks early on March 9, 2026 at roughly 8.4 inches SWE, about 60 percent of normal. The Governor has ordered a mandatory 10 percent water-use reduction at all state facilities and asked local water providers to lean into voluntary conservation; the Utah Division of Water Resources is coordinating the statewide response from water.utah.gov.
On March 19, 2026, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall declared a Stage 2 Drought Response for SLC Public Utilities customers, targeting a 10 million gallon per day reduction across the SLC DPU service territory. Stage 2 is voluntary for residential customers but mandatory for City facilities, and it has set the conservation tone for the broader Salt Lake County metro through spring 2026.
Murray's situation is unusual inside Salt Lake County: unlike most neighboring suburbs, Murray City Water does NOT purchase wholesale water from Salt Lake City Public Utilities, and it is not a JVWCD retail or wholesale customer either. Murray's system is 100 percent supplied, treated, and maintained by Murray Water personnel, drawing from the City's own deep wells in the Jordan Valley aquifer plus McGhie Springs near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Murray Power and Water operates as a combined municipal utility, which lets the City make independent conservation calls. For 2026 the City has chosen voluntary alignment with the SLC Stage 2 and statewide messaging rather than declaring its own mandatory phase.
Geographically Murray sits at the heart of Salt Lake County, a streetcar-suburb that bisects the county north-south along State Street, 5300 South, and the I-15 corridor between South Salt Lake and Midvale. The same Wasatch Front snowpack that feeds SLC's Wasatch canyon collection system and JVWCD's Provo River and Jordanelle supplies also recharges the Jordan Valley aquifer that Murray's wells tap, so a 60 percent snowpack year matters to Murray even though the City does not buy a drop of wholesale water.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Murray area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are below seasonal targets, prompting regional voluntary conservation guidance.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Murray Water Restrictions
11 tips tailored for Murray homeowners during Voluntary Conservation under Utah Statewide Drought + SLC Stage 2 Spillover restrictions.
Honor Murray's standing year-round ordinance: no pressurized landscape irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., drought year or not, and shift to the 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. window to cut evaporation on the Wasatch Front bench.
Voluntarily cap outdoor watering at two days per week through May; Kentucky bluegrass on Salt Lake County soils survives fine on this cadence once daytime highs settle below the mid 80s.
Raise mower height to 3 to 3.5 inches for Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue; taller blades shade Murray's clay-loam soils and cut irrigation demand by 20 to 30 percent.
Audit each station for 10 minutes after a cycle: Murray's older streetcar-suburb lots often have 1970s-era spray heads with high precipitation rates that waste water against curbs and sidewalks along State Street and 5300 South.
Use the cycle-and-soak method on Murray's compacted Jordan Valley clay-loam: three 5-minute cycles with 30-minute soaks beat one 15-minute run for absorption.
Apply 2 to 3 inches of bark or shredded-wood mulch in beds; Wasatch Front summer ET routinely exceeds 0.25 inches per day in July and mulch is the single biggest non-irrigation lever.
Convert narrow park strips along Murray's 4800 South, 5900 South, and Vine Street corridors to Localscapes-style waterwise plantings; Utah Water Savers rebates apply to Murray Water customers even though Murray is not on the JVWCD or SLC DPU retail rolls.
Check your irrigation controller for an ET-based or smart mode; Murray Power and Water's combined-utility billing makes it easy to see the kilowatt-hour and gallon impact of overwatering on a single statement.
Inspect for leaks: a single broken 1/2-inch lateral on a Murray residential lot can dump 600 gallons an hour, more than a week of voluntary-conservation use.
Let Kentucky bluegrass enter summer dormancy rather than fighting it: a brown-but-alive lawn in late July rebounds with September rains, and dormancy is explicitly encouraged under SLC Stage 2 spillover messaging.
Capture rinse water from vegetable washing and pet bowls for container plants; Murray's voluntary posture does not regulate greywater reuse, and every captured gallon reduces draw on the City's wells and McGhie Springs.
Murray Water Restriction FAQs
What days can I water my lawn in Murray?
What hours can I run my sprinklers in Murray?
What are the fines for water violations in Murray?
Can I install new sod or seed in Murray during restrictions?
When will water restrictions end in Murray?
Is Murray City Water served by Salt Lake City Public Utilities or JVWCD?
Does Murray have mandatory drought restrictions in 2026?
Why does Salt Lake City's Stage 2 matter to Murray if Murray buys no SLC water?
How bad is the Wasatch Front snowpack for 2026?
Where does Murray's water actually come from, and is it treated?
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