AURORA — Aurora lawmakers voted Monday to ban most outdoor irrigation across the city from Oct. 1 through April 30, the city's most aggressive seasonal watering restriction to date as reservoir levels remain strained.
The ordinance shuts off spray irrigation for residential and commercial turf through fall and winter, with a short extension to Oct. 15 for heavily used turf such as sports fields. Lawmakers also banned the installation of new cool-weather lawns — including Kentucky bluegrass and fescue — in future developments, and prohibited new ornamental water features such as fountains and ponds. Warm-season grasses like Tahoma 31 remain allowed.
"We're not only in a short-term water crisis, we have a bit of a long-term water supply challenge," Aurora Water officials told the council, noting that roughly half of the city's water consumption still goes to outdoor irrigation. The rules expand on a 2022 ordinance that banned only nonfunctional turf.
City staff said enforcement will lean on education first, with fines possible for repeat violations. AuroraToday will publish a homeowner FAQ on the new rules later this week.
