Watering rules by city: Solano, Napa and Sonoma (2026)
Eco Scapes·Published ·Updated
The short answer
Each town’s water provider sets its own rules. Napa bans watering from 10 am to 5 pm, and Fairfield asks you to skip noon to 6 pm. Most towns also ban watering for 48 hours after rain and any water running into the street. Water between 8 pm and 6 am and you’re clear everywhere.
Find your town below.
When can I water in my town?
Pick your town, then turn the hand round the clock. The ring is one day, midnight at the top.
FairfieldCity of Fairfield
Skip noon to 6 pm; midnight to 6 am is best
Lawn swap rebate$1.50/sq ft, up to $1,500
From 8 pm to 6 am you’re clear of every hour limit we found in all 16 towns.
All 16 towns at a glance
| Town | When to water | Lawn swap rebate |
|---|---|---|
| FairfieldSolano | Skip noon to 6 pm; midnight to 6 am is best | $1.50/sq ft, up to $1,500 |
| Suisun CitySolano | Any day, as long as it isn’t wasteful | $1.50/sq ft, up to $1,500 |
| VacavilleSolano | Stage 2, with days set by ZIP code | $1.50/sq ft, up to $1,500 |
| VallejoSolano | Current rule not confirmed | Ask SCWA if your home qualifies |
| BeniciaSolano | No watering hours posted | Up to $3,000 for a lawn swap |
| NapaNapa | No watering 10 am to 5 pm | $2/sq ft, up to $2,000 |
| American CanyonNapa | No hours posted | $1/sq ft, up to $750 |
| YountvilleNapa | Current hours not confirmed | $1/sq ft, up to $750 |
| St. HelenaNapa | No watering 8 am to 8 pm; check with the city | $1.50/sq ft, up to $750 |
| CalistogaNapa | Current rules not confirmed | Cash for Grass offered |
| PetalumaSonoma | No set days or hours | No cash rebate; free mulch and drip kit |
| WindsorSonoma | No set days or hours | $1/sq ft, up to $1,500 |
| Santa RosaSonoma | City asks for 8 pm to 6 am | $1/sq ft, up to $1,000 |
| Rohnert ParkSonoma | Any hour | $1/sq ft |
| CotatiSonoma | City asks for 8 pm to 6 am | $1/sq ft, up to $500 |
| SonomaSonoma | City asks for 8 pm to 6 am | $1/sq ft, up to $1,000 |
Rebates are paid while funds last. Apply before you touch the lawn.
What breaks the rules even at the right hour?
Runoff. Most towns here ban water running off your yard into the street, whatever time it starts.
A lot of North Bay ground is clay, which drinks slowly, so one long run puddles and heads for the gutter. Shorter cycles with a break between them fix it. A smart controller does that zone by zone, and skips watering after rain by itself.
A broken head does the same, at 4 am when nobody sees it. When we take on a system, every zone gets run and checked, leaks get fixed and the controller is set to your town’s hours.
One long run
Short cycles, an hour apart
…checked our sprinklers and found a broken one we didn't know about
…even programmed a weekly schedule for our lawn to be watered
Rebates pay, in the right order.
Most providers here pay you to swap lawn for a water-wise garden, and some pay toward a smart controller. Your town’s rebate is in the table above.
Get approval first. Most programs want to see the lawn before any of it comes out, and won’t pay for work started early. Artificial turf usually doesn’t count, and the new beds usually go on drip.
You apply to your provider. We design and install the drip and the zones, and set the controller to the program’s rules.
Before you change your schedule
No.
California’s turf law covers businesses, government sites and HOA common areas, not your own yard. Vacaville says it plainly: “This ban does not apply to residential properties.” Keeping your lawn healthy is a lawn care question.
Not outright.
State law stops an HOA from banning low-water plants. It can still ask to approve visible changes, so get the plan approved before work starts.
You can be fined.
Towns like Vacaville and Suisun City fine repeat water waste. A controller set to your town’s hours and a system with no leaks keeps you clear.
Plan for it.
Towns here have cut watering at short notice after pipe breaks. A yard with trees, beds and lawn on separate zones, drip on the beds and a controller you can pause from your phone handles a cut well: the lawn waits and the trees keep their water.
Usually WaterSense models.
Most controller rebates here pay only on WaterSense-labelled, weather-based models. Check with your provider before you buy, or ask us when we quote the work.
Your town’s hours, set right.
We set your controller to your town’s hours and quote the work free once we’ve seen the yard.
Call for a free quote(707) 803-9734
