Watering Rules and Sprinkler Systems in Dallas-Fort Worth

Quick answer

Most Dallas-Fort Worth cities limit sprinklers to one or two assigned days a week and bar them in the middle of the day, but the details vary a lot. Dallas and Fort Worth allow up to twice a week with no sprinklers from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Frisco allows once a week most of the year and none on lawns in winter. Irrigation work for hire in Texas requires a TCEQ license.

Last updated October 22, 2026

If you have a sprinkler system in Dallas-Fort Worth, your city's water rules shape almost every landscaping decision: which grass makes sense, when to lay sod, how to set the controller, and whether a new planting can be watered enough to survive its first summer. The metro is made up of dozens of cities, each setting its own rules, and the rules change during drought stages. This guide explains the common patterns, gives examples from city sources, and covers the Texas licensing rules for irrigation work.

The common pattern

Across the metro, most cities do some version of the same three things:

Limit the days. Sprinklers run only on assigned days, often based on whether your address ends in an even or odd number, or tied to your trash pickup day.
Limit the hours. Many cities bar sprinklers between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., when evaporation is highest. Some apply that only from April through October; others apply it year-round.
Ban waste. Running sprinklers during rain, letting water run into the street, and broken or misaligned heads are commonly treated as violations.

Hand watering, soaker hoses and drip irrigation are often treated more flexibly than sprinklers, but not everywhere, and not without limits. Always check your own city's current page before relying on a rule.

Examples from city sources

Dallas

Dallas Water Utilities allows sprinkler watering a maximum of twice a week on days assigned by the last digit of your address. A May 2026 ordinance update made the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ban on automatic systems and hose-end sprinklers apply every day of the year; before that it applied only from April through October. Every automatic system in the city must have a working rain and freeze sensor. The update also clarified that foundations can be watered any day, at any time, with a hand-held hose, soaker hose, drip device or bucket. Variances are possible in limited cases, including large properties and newly installed landscapes, though not for cool-season grasses.

Fort Worth

Fort Worth has year-round limits of no more than two days a week. Residential addresses ending in an even number water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and odd addresses on Thursdays and Sundays; Tuesdays and Fridays are for non-residential sites, and there's no watering on Mondays. Sprinklers can't run between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., though hand-held hoses are allowed any time. The city stresses that two days is a maximum, not a target, and offers free irrigation evaluations and a weekly watering advice service.

Frisco

Frisco's Water Efficiency Plan is one of the strictest in the region. Sprinklers run once a week on your trash day in spring (April and May) and fall (September and October). In summer you can split your weekly watering across your trash day and a set second day. From November through March, automatic sprinkler watering of lawns isn't allowed; hand watering and drip for trees and plants are allowed up to two hours a day when needed. Watering is barred during rain and below 40 degrees. Free residential sprinkler checkups are available, and new-landscape exemptions must be requested before work starts.

Plano

Plano asks residents to water no more than twice a week from April through October and once a week from November through March, on days set by address, and to keep sprinklers off between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The city points residents to WaterMyYard for weekly recommendations.

McKinney

McKinney ties your watering day to your normal trash day, with a second day three days later if needed, and bars watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from April through October. Systems with registered, properly working ET (evapotranspiration) controllers are exempt from the schedule, and newly planted landscape installed with city approval is exempt for 30 days.

Southlake

Southlake allows sprinklers twice a week year-round: Wednesdays and Saturdays for even addresses, and Thursdays and Sundays for odd addresses, only between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. Hand-held hose watering is allowed outside those hours.

Other cities, including Arlington and Allen, set their own schedules and drought stages. Check your city's water conservation page or utility bill insert for the current version.

Texas irrigation licensing

Texas regulates irrigation work more closely than many states. Anyone who sells, designs, installs, maintains, alters or repairs a landscape irrigation system for hire needs a license from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). State law requires cities with more than 20,000 residents to adopt irrigation ordinances, which generally means a permit before a new system goes in and an inspection afterward. A homeowner working on their own system is exempt from licensing but still has to meet state design standards and local requirements. When you hire, ask for the company's TCEQ license number, whether they'll pull the permit, and who will be on site.

Backflow prevention and testing

An irrigation system connected to the public water supply needs a backflow prevention assembly so lawn water, fertilizer and debris can't flow back into drinking water. In Texas, testing and repairing these assemblies requires a TCEQ backflow prevention assembly tester license. TCEQ requires a test when the assembly is installed, and many water utilities require testing on a regular schedule after that. Your utility can tell you what it requires and how to submit test reports.

Setting up a system to work with the rules

Zone by need. Separate lawn from beds and sun from shade so each zone gets what it needs on limited days.
Use drip in beds. It delivers water to roots with little runoff and is treated more flexibly than sprinklers in some cities.
Cycle and soak. Clay soil takes water slowly. Several short cycles on your watering day let water soak in instead of running into the street, which can be a violation.
Upgrade the controller. Weather- or soil-moisture-based controllers, including those labeled by EPA WaterSense, adjust to conditions. In McKinney, a registered ET controller can exempt you from the day schedule. Fort Worth notes that a dead controller backup battery can make a system revert to a default schedule, so check it.
Keep sensors working. Rain and freeze sensors are required in Dallas and are commonly required on new systems elsewhere.

Signs your system needs attention

Water running down the curb or spraying the driveway
One soggy spot or a sudden jump in your water bill
Dry patches in the same spots every summer
Heads that are tilted, sunken or broken by mowers
A controller nobody has reprogrammed since it was installed

Before paying for a redesign, take advantage of a free checkup if your utility offers one. Dallas, Fort Worth and Frisco all list free irrigation evaluations or sprinkler checkups.

What drives the cost of irrigation work

Prices depend on the size of the yard and number of zones, whether beds get drip, the type of controller and sensors, permit and inspection fees, backflow assembly and testing, how much existing pipe can be reused, and how much lawn and hardscape must be worked around. Get written estimates that list zones, head types, controller model, permit responsibility and warranty.

Ready to fix or upgrade a system? Read more about irrigation or request a licensed irrigation company.

Frequently asked questions

Can I water my lawn in winter in Dallas-Fort Worth?

It depends on your city. Frisco doesn't allow automatic sprinkler watering of lawns from November through March, Plano allows once a week, and Dallas and Fort Worth allow up to twice a week year-round. Dormant warm-season lawns need little water in winter anyway.

Do I need a permit to install a sprinkler system?

In most larger Texas cities, yes. State law requires cities over 20,000 people to adopt irrigation ordinances, which generally means a permit and inspection for new systems. Licensed irrigators typically handle the permit.

How often does my backflow preventer need testing?

TCEQ requires a test when the assembly is installed, and many water utilities require testing on a regular schedule after that. Ask your utility and use a TCEQ-licensed tester.

Sources and further reading

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