About the watering restrictions

Buy a water conservation kit and save water when you garden.

Why restrictions are needed in rainy Vancouver

While the Vancouver area gets a lot of rain, the Lower Mainland has limited water storage capacity. Much of the rainfall and melted snow in the Capilano and Seymour watersheds cannot be collected for later use during dry weather conditions.

Years ago, this wasn't a problem, but recent population growth in the Lower Mainland has led to increased demand for water. The Greater Vancouver Regional District has implemented sprinkling regulations to avoid more restrictive measures in case of drought.

What happens if you water outside of the permitted times

The City of Vancouver recognizes that in some cases the regulations may not provide your lawn with enough water. If you have a new lawn or you are using nematodes to treat your lawn for European Chafer Beetles, you can apply for a Lawn sprinkling permit.

If you water your lawn outside of designated times and do not have a permit, you could be fined $100. The City will be actively patrolling for violations.

What exactly is restricted?

These restrictions have four (4) stages, based on the seriousness of the water shortage. Currently, the City of Vancouver is at stage 1.

See the table below for information about the specific restrictions for this stage.

NOTE: These restrictions apply only to the use of treated drinking water. Using rain water, gray water, or any forms of recycled water are not restricted.

For more information about all four stages of the restrictions, download the Water Use Plan

Current water restrictions: Stage 1

Here are the details about the restriction for this stage:

Activity	Restrictions
Residential lawn sprinkling	1 June to 30 September Even-numbered addresses on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings 4:00am to 9:00am Odd-numbered addresses on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday mornings, 4:00am to 9:00am
Non-Residential lawn sprinkling	1 June to 30 September Even-numbered addresses Monday and Wednesday mornings 1:00am to 6:00am Odd-numbered addresses Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 1:00am to 6:00am All non-residential addresses Friday morning 4:00am to 9:00am
New (unestablished) residential and commercial lawns, trees, shrubs, and flowers	Sprinkling outside restricted times allowed only at the discretion of each municipality and with special permits to be displayed on lawn.
Flowers and vegetable gardens, decorative planters, shrubs and trees	No restrictions
Commercial flowers and vegetable gardens	No restrictions
Private pools, spas, and garden ponds	No restrictions
Public water play parks, and pools	No restrictions
Public and commercial fountains and water features	No restrictions
Private and commercial outdoor impermeable surface washing (such as, driveways, sidewalks, and parkades)	No restrictions
Private and commercial pressure washing	No restrictions
Outdoor car washing and boat washing	Only with hose equipped with spring-loaded shut off.
Commercial car washes	No restrictions
Golf courses	Municipalities request golf course operators cut water use on fairways by as much as possible.
Commercial turf farms	No restrictions
Artificial turf and outdoor tracks (such as, bicycle and motorcycle tracks, running tracks)	Hosing for health and safety only.
School yards, sports and sand-based playing fields	No restrictions
Cemetery lawns	1 June to 30 September Even-numbered addresses Monday and Wednesday mornings 1:00am to 6:00am Odd-numbered addresses Tuesday and Thursday mornings 1:00am to 6:00am All non-residential addresses Friday morning 4:00am to 9:00am
Municipal parks	No restrictions
Municipal ornamental lawns and grassed boulevards	1 June to 30 September Even-numbered addresses Monday and Wednesday mornings 1:00am to 6:00am Odd-numbered addresses Tuesday and Thursday mornings 1:00am to 6:00am All non-residential addresses Friday morning 4:00am to 9:00am.
Municipal hydrant flushing	Only for unscheduled safety or public health reasons. Routine flushing to be scheduled after restrictions are lifted.

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Outside Vancouver:
604-873-7000

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Exemption permits

Water exemption permits are available under certain circumstances.

Find out how to get a water exemption permit if you are:

Growing a new lawn.
Treating your lawn with nematodes.

Exemptions

What about parks and playing fields?

Parks and playing fields areas are exempt from the restrictions because they are often too large to be effectively watered within the allowed sprinkling times.

Also, most playing fields are built on a sand base for better drainage. Turf grown on a sand base can die if not watered. The high cost of replacing playing field turf is a poor use of public money.