Rossland watering restrictions
Are there lawn sprinkling or watering restrictions?
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.
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.Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 5.1, 6.2-6.3; Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, Notice: Outdoor Water Use Restrictions · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingauthorized 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, Stage 1 Restrictions are effective all year unless the further restrictions are announced. |
|---|---|
| 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.Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, Notice: Outdoor Water Use Restrictions · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingAlternate 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. |
| Allowed at any time | There are no restrictions on watering vegetable gardens or fruit trees for personal use (Stage 1 notice).Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, Notice: Outdoor Water Use Restrictions · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThere are no restrictions on watering vegetable gardens or fruit trees for personal use. |
| 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.Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 7.1(iii) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingA 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 |
| Fine | $100 for each offence, with a maximum fine or penalty of $2,500; each day is a separate offence.Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 4.4-4.5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingdollars ($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 |
| Bylaw | Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019, s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingOutdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019 |
How it works
The City of Rossland's Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696 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
- Check the City website notices to see whether a higher stage is in force. We do not state a current stage here.
- 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
The same question in other places
Warfield · Trail · Montrose · Fruitvale · Castlegar · Salmo
Watering restrictions in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Outdoor Water Use Regulation Bylaw No. 2696, 2019 (PDF), City of Rossland (read 2026-11-05)
- Notice, Outdoor Water Use Restrictions, City of Rossland (read 2026-11-05)
- Noise and Nuisances, City of Rossland (City Hall contact) (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. How answers are checked.