A woman using a garden hose to water plants

Get ready for new lawn watering rules starting May 1

April 19 2022 –

Starting Sunday, May 1, new Stage 1 lawn watering restrictions set by Metro Vancouver and adopted by member jurisdictions will be in effect. These region-wide regulations are in effect from May 1 to October 15 each year. Watering outside of permitted times is a by-law offence that could result in a $250 fine. 

The new rules will see lawn watering drop to one day per week for residential and non-residential lawn watering. In addition, allowable hours of lawn watering have been limited to three hours for manual watering and two hours for automatic systems. Under the updated Stage 2 restrictions lawn watering is banned.

Permitted watering times

Lawns in Vancouver generally need only one inch of water for one hour each week, including rainfall, to stay healthy and green. Lawns can also go ‘golden’ if not watered as they enter a dormant state and return lush in the fall during rain. Residents can check their permitted watering through the VanConnect app or on our watering restrictions page.

Stage 1 residential lawn watering allowed

  • Even-numbered addresses on Saturdays
  • Odd-numbered addresses on Sundays
  • Automatic watering: 5am to 7am
  • Manual watering: 6am to 9am
  • Watering trees, shrubs, and flowers is permitted any day from 5am to 9am if using a sprinkler, or any time if hand watering or using drip irrigation. All hoses must have an automatic shut-off device.
  • Edible plants are exempt from regulations

Stage 1 non-residential lawn watering allowed

  • Even-numbered addresses on Mondays
  • Odd-numbered addresses on Tuesdays
  • Automatic watering: 4am to 6am
  • Manual watering: 6am to 9am
  • Watering trees, shrubs, and flowers is permitted any day from 4am to 9am if using a sprinkler, or any time if hand watering or using drip irrigation. All hoses must have an automatic shut-off device.
  • Edible plants are exempt from regulations

Background

Water restrictions are enacted through Vancouver’s Drinking Water Conservation By-law #12086. These restrictions help ensure there is enough treated drinking water for essential tasks like cooking, cleaning, and drinking during the dry summer months. Even with watering restrictions, regional water use almost doubles in the summer due to lawn and garden watering. Vancouver’s summer water use increases are lower than regional averages - at about 30 to 40%  - due to strong water conservation outreach and enforcement programs.

Last year’s ‘heat dome’ led to 1.795 billion litres of potable water used in one day across our region - just shy of the all-time record of 2 billion litres used. This experience demonstrated that greater commitment to water conservation was needed. 

Our existing water system was designed and built for historical patterns of rain and snow, however, our climate is changing and the need for water is growing. With summer demand for potable water increasing, and fewer rainy days, the region is becoming more susceptible to droughts and there is less potable water available each year.

Learn how you can reduce your water consumption

Learn about our initiatives to protect and conserve our water resources