Vernon watering restrictions

Are there lawn sprinkling or watering restrictions?

Vernon, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-05

How it works

Greater Vernon Water, run by the Regional District of North Okanagan, applies the Greater Vernon Water Use and Regulation Bylaw No. 2545 to everyone on the system, including the City of Vernon. "Normal" is the default stage at all times. Stages 1 (Dry), 2 (Very Dry), 3 (Extremely Dry) and 4 (Emergency) are imposed when drought or an emergency requires. The RDNO may set a stage stricter than the bylaw in places. Check rdno.ca/waterrestrictions for the current stage.

Steps

1. Check the current stage on the RDNO page.
2. Normal and Stage 1: sprinklers on hoses 6 to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight, up to 3 days a week (odd addresses Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday; even addresses Wednesday, Friday, Sunday). Automatic timer systems run 12 to 6 a.m. on the same days.
3. Stage 2: up to 2 days a week (odd addresses Tuesday and Saturday; even addresses Wednesday and Sunday).
4. Stage 3: no lawn watering and no sprinklers.

Good to know

• Check these days and hours against Schedule A of the bylaw. The schedule table is hard to read and the stage columns need confirming.
• Normal: hand watering, micro-jet and drip are allowed any time. Stage 1: hand watering any time; drip and micro-jet any day 7 p.m. to 10 a.m.
• Stage 3: food gardens and potted plants by drip, micro-jet or hand only, 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. Fruit trees "maximum every 2 days" in the bylaw, but 2 days a week on the RDNO page. Filling pools, ponds and water features is prohibited, with pool top-ups up to 1% of volume a week.
• New lawns: Normal, follow the supplier's schedule (2 weeks for sod, 6 weeks for seeded lawns). Stage 2 needs an RDNO sprinkling permit. Stage 3: no new permits.
• Continued non-compliance can lead to water shut-off. Each day is a separate offence.