--- title: Smithers watering restrictions question: "Are there lawn sprinkling or watering restrictions in Smithers?" place: Smithers, British Columbia, Canada place_path: ca/bc/smithers category: Water, sewer, roads and snow owner: municipal owner_body: Town of Smithers sources_read: 2026-11-06 review: machine_checked canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/water-restrictions/" json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/water-restrictions.json" --- # Smithers watering restrictions **Question:** Are there lawn sprinkling or watering restrictions in Smithers? **Short answer:** In Smithers, Stage 1 water restrictions start automatically on April 15 each year if no stage is in force. Under Stage 1, water lawns only on even-numbered days at even street addresses and odd-numbered days at odd addresses. Stage 2 bans lawn watering. Check with the Town for the current stage. **Who handles it:** Municipal (Town of Smithers, https://www.smithers.ca) **Cost:** Bylaw notice for contravening the water restrictions: $400. **How long:** Stage 1 starts April 15; no stage stays in force after October 31 unless the Town declares one. **Where:** - Phone: Town Hall (bylaw enforcement), 250-847-1600 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) - Phone: After-hours water and sewer emergency, 250-877-1562 ## Key facts - **When restrictions apply:** Stage 1 restrictions start automatically on April 15 each year if no stage is in force. The Town can declare Stage 1 or Stage 2 by public announcement. No stage stays in force after October 31 unless the Town declares one. - Source: [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, s. 4.3, 4.6](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) - Official wording: "on April 15th of any year, Stage 1" … "No Restriction Stage remains in force after October 31st of any year" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Sprinkling schedule:** Stage 1: lawns may be watered only on even-numbered days at even civic addresses and odd-numbered days at odd addresses (residential premises). No hours are set. Stage 2: no lawn watering. - Source: [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, Schedule A, ss. 1.1, 3.1](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) - Official wording: "Water Lawns, except:" … "For Residential premises with even numbered civic addresses, on even" … "when Stage 2 Restrictions are in force, it is" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Allowed at any time:** Stage 1: flower and vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees may be watered; drip irrigation is not 'watering'. Stage 2: gardens, planters, shrubs and trees only by hand with a shut-off hose, not sprinklers or soaker hoses. - Source: [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, Schedule A, ss. 2.2(f), 3.1(c); s. 3](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) - Official wording: "Flower gardens, vegetable gardens, shrubs or trees." … "unless such watering is carried out by hand with a hose equipped with an Automatic" … "to lands or plants but does not include the method known as" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **New lawns:** New lawns (newly placed sod, turf or grass seed) are exempt from both Stage 1 and Stage 2 restrictions. - Source: [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, s. 3 definitions; Sched. A s. 2.2(g)](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) - Official wording: "means the following are exempt from Stage" … "New lawn installations." … ""New Lawn" means an installed Lawn either by newly placed sod, turf or" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Fine:** Bylaw notice: contravening the water restrictions (s. 5.2) $400, with $200 early and $500 late shown; s. 8.1 describes the columns differently, so confirm with the Town. (Sources differ: Amounts are from the Schedule A table of Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011 (adopted Aug. 25, 2026). The table headings read Penalty / Early Payment (within 14 days) / Late Payment (after 28 days), but s. 8.1 of the same bylaw says the Column 3 amount is payable within 14 days, Column 4 between 14 and 28 days and Column 5 after 28 days, so which figure is the 'full' amount is unclear; confirm with the Town. No Municipal Ticket Information bylaw was found in the bylaw library.) - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Schedule A, Water Restriction table](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290948/) - Official wording: "Contravene water provision 5.2 400.00 200.00 500.00 NO" … "amount set out in Column 3 of "Schedule A"; or" - Source: [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, s. 5.6](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) - Official wording: "Each offence, under summary" … "$5000.00 and not less than $100.00" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 - **Bylaw:** Bylaw No. 1811 - Water Restriction Bylaw - Source: [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, s. 1](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) - Official wording: "Bylaw No. 1811 - Water" … "Restriction Bylaw" - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06 ## How it works The [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811]() sets two stages. Stage 1 starts automatically on April 15 each year if no stage is in force. The Town can declare Stage 1 or Stage 2 by public announcement. No stage stays in force after October 31 unless the Town declares one. To find the current stage, call the Town at 250-847-1600. ## Good to know - Stage 1: lawns may be watered only on even-numbered days at even civic addresses and odd-numbered days at odd addresses (residential premises). No hours are set. Flower and vegetable gardens, shrubs and trees may be watered; drip irrigation is not "watering". - Stage 2: no lawn watering. Gardens, planters, shrubs and trees only by hand with a shut-off hose, not sprinklers or soaker hoses. - New lawns (newly placed sod, turf or grass seed) are exempt from both stages. - Fine: contravening the restrictions is a $400 bylaw notice. The early and late amounts and their timing should be confirmed with the Town. ## Official forms and pages - [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) ## Related questions - [Smithers bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/bylaw-fines.md) - [Smithers garbage collection: schedule, carts and limits](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/garbage-collection.md) ## The same question elsewhere - [Watering restrictions in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/water-restrictions.md) - [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/water-restrictions.md) - [Houston](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/houston/water-restrictions.md) - [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/water-restrictions.md) - [Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/hazelton/water-restrictions.md) - [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/water-restrictions.md) - [Burns Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/burns-lake/water-restrictions.md) ## Sources - [Water Restriction Bylaw No. 1811, Town of Smithers](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/115429/) (read 2026-11-06) - [Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2011, Town of Smithers](https://smithers.civicweb.net/document/290948/) (read 2026-11-06) - [Contact Us, Town of Smithers](https://www.smithers.ca/contact-us) (read 2026-11-06) _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 Town of Smithers. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/water-restrictions/_