---
title: Rossland watering restrictions
question: "Are there lawn sprinkling or watering restrictions?"
place: Rossland, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/rossland
category: Water, sewer, roads and snow
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Rossland
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/water-restrictions/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/water-restrictions.json"
---

# Rossland watering restrictions

**Question:** Are there lawn sprinkling or watering restrictions?

**Short answer:** In the City of Rossland, Stage 1 outdoor water restrictions apply all year: water on alternate days by odd or even street number, and outdoors only before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m. Vegetable gardens and fruit trees are not limited. Higher stages are announced by notice, so check the City website.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Rossland, https://rossland.ca)  
**Cost:** $100 for each offence, with a maximum fine or penalty of $2,500. Each day is a separate offence.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement Officer (City Hall), 250-362-7396

## Key facts

- **When restrictions apply:** Stage 1 applies all year unless further restrictions are announced. The Municipal Officer sets Stages 1 to 4 by notice (website, print, social media or radio), at least one week before a stage increase is enforced except in emergencies.
  - Source: [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 5.1, 6.2-6.3](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143)
  - Official wording: "authorized to determine the applicable Water Restriction Stage, provide notice" … "Except in emergency circumstances, the Municipality shall provide notice of an" … "impending Stage increase at least one (1) week prior to enforcement commencing." … "Municipal website, printed media,"
  - Source: [Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, Notice: Outdoor Water Use Restrictions](https://rossland.ca/notice-outdoor-water-use-restrictions/)
  - Official wording: "Stage 1 Restrictions are effective all year unless the further restrictions are announced."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Sprinkling schedule:** Stage 1 (all year unless more is announced): water on alternate days by odd or even street number, and outdoor residential use only before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m.
  - Source: [Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, Notice: Outdoor Water Use Restrictions](https://rossland.ca/notice-outdoor-water-use-restrictions/)
  - Official wording: "Alternate day watering based on residential street number (odd/even)." … "All outdoor residential water use is allowed before 9:00 a.m. and after 7:00 p.m."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Allowed at any time:** There are no restrictions on watering vegetable gardens or fruit trees for personal use (Stage 1 notice).
  - Source: [Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, Notice: Outdoor Water Use Restrictions](https://rossland.ca/notice-outdoor-water-use-restrictions/)
  - Official wording: "There are no restrictions on watering vegetable gardens or fruit trees for personal use."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **New lawns:** Apply for an exemption permit stating the reason and how long it is needed. In Stages 1 and 2 a Municipal Officer decides; in Stages 3 and 4 Council decides by resolution.
  - Source: [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 7.1(iii)](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143)
  - Official wording: "A person can apply for an exemption permit upon submitting an application" … "that clearly states the reason(s) to which an exemption is required, the period" … "permit applications will be forwarded to a Municipal Officer for review and decision." … "During Stages 3 & 4 Water Restrictions, permit applications will be forwarded to Council" … "permit applications will be forwarded to a Municipal Officer for review and decision. During Stages 3 & 4 Water Restrictions, permit applications will be forwarded to Council"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** $100 for each offence, with a maximum fine or penalty of $2,500; each day is a separate offence.
  - Source: [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 4.4-4.5](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143)
  - Official wording: "dollars ($100) for each offence and shall be liable to a fine or penalty not exceeding two-thousand five-" … "hundred ($2,500)." … "Each day during which an offence under this Bylaw continues is a new and separate"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019
  - Source: [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 1](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143)
  - Official wording: "Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Rossland's [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143) sets four stages of outdoor water restrictions. Stage 1 applies all year unless further restrictions are announced. Under Stage 1, according to a City notice, you water on alternate days by odd or even street number, and outdoor residential use is allowed only before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m. There is no restriction on watering vegetable gardens or fruit trees for personal use.

A Municipal Officer sets Stages 1 to 4 by notice on the website, in print, on social media or on the radio. Except in emergencies, the notice comes at least one week before a stage increase is enforced.

## Steps

1. Check the City website notices to see whether a higher stage is in force. We do not state a current stage here.
2. For a new lawn, apply for an exemption permit stating the reason and how long it is needed. In Stages 1 and 2 a Municipal Officer decides; in Stages 3 and 4, Council decides by resolution.

## Good to know

- What Stages 2 to 4 allow is in Schedule A of the bylaw, which is an image in the City's PDF that we could not read. Ask City Hall.
- The fine is $100 for each offence, up to $2,500, and each day is a separate offence. The City's ticket schedule for this bylaw is not readable.
- A City notice from 2023 put Stage 3 into effect on August 31, 2023. That is a dated notice, not the standing rule.
- To report a suspected violation, contact the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250-362-7396.

## Official forms and pages

- [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696 (PDF)](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143)
- [Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, City of Rossland](https://rossland.ca/notice-outdoor-water-use-restrictions/)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Watering restrictions in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/water-restrictions.md)
- [Warfield](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/warfield/water-restrictions.md)
- [Trail](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/trail/water-restrictions.md)
- [Montrose](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/montrose/water-restrictions.md)
- [Fruitvale](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/fruitvale/water-restrictions.md)
- [Castlegar](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/castlegar/water-restrictions.md)
- [Salmo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/salmo/water-restrictions.md)

## Sources

- [Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019 (PDF), City of Rossland](https://rossland.civicweb.net/document/6143) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, City of Rossland](https://rossland.ca/notice-outdoor-water-use-restrictions/) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Noise and Nuisances, City of Rossland (City Hall contact)](https://rossland.ca/bylaw-enforcement/noise-and-nuisances/) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with City of Rossland. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/rossland/water-restrictions/_