On Sunday, November 1, the Las Vegas Valley switches to winter watering rules. That same morning, daylight saving time ends and the clocks fall back an hour. So this year one trip to the garage covers two jobs: change your watering days and fix the time on your controller.

Here’s what changes, how to find your day, and how we set up controllers for the yards we take care of.

What the winter rule says

From November 1 through February 28, landscape irrigation in the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) service area is limited to one assigned day per week.

A few details people miss:

  • Drip counts too. SNWA lets drip systems run on any day of the week, but the number of days is still capped by season. In winter, that’s one.
  • No sprinklers on Sunday. Ever. It isn’t an optional day in any season.
  • Wrong day = water waste. Running your system outside your assigned day can bring a water-waste fee or citation.

For the full rundown of this year’s rules, see our post on Las Vegas water restrictions in 2026.

Find your watering day

Every address has a watering group from A to F. The letter is printed on your water bill, or you can look it up by address on SNWA’s “Find your watering group” page. If you’re in Henderson or North Las Vegas, the lookup sends you to your own water provider’s schedule.

For Las Vegas Valley Water District customers:

  • Group A: Monday, Wednesday, Friday in fall. Monday in winter.
  • Group B: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday in fall. Tuesday in winter.
  • Group C: Monday, Wednesday, Friday in fall. Wednesday in winter.
  • Group D: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday in fall. Thursday in winter.
  • Group E: Monday, Wednesday, Friday in fall. Friday in winter.
  • Group F: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday in fall. Saturday in winter.

Want a reminder next time? Text CONSERVE to 85357 and SNWA will text you when the season changes.

Grass: move it to mid-morning

All summer and fall we tell clients to run sprinklers overnight or right before sunrise so less water is lost to heat and wind. Winter flips that. SNWA recommends running spray irrigation in the mid-morning so water doesn’t freeze on the lawn or ice up the sidewalk.

If your lawn zone starts at 4 a.m. right now, push it to mid-morning when you switch to one day.

Drip: less often, longer runs

Trees and shrubs on drip need a lot less water than grass. SNWA’s winter guidance is one day a week or less for drip, and for established trees and shrubs they suggest watering every 7 to 14 days with a longer run of 30 to 90 minutes, depending on your emitters.

The idea is deep, occasional watering. That pushes roots down where the soil stays moist. Short, frequent runs keep roots shallow, and shallow roots are the first to suffer next July.

If your controller has an interval setting (every X days), use it for drip zones.

  • Exception: new plants. Anything planted this fall still needs closer attention for its first few weeks. Check the soil by hand before you cut it back. Our fall planting guide covers that.

7-step controller reset

  1. Fix the clock time after daylight saving ends on Nov 1. Wi-Fi controllers usually do this on their own. Older ones don’t.
  2. Change the watering days on every program. Most controllers have more than one program (A, B, C). People switch the lawn program and forget the drip program.
  3. Move lawn start times to mid-morning.
  4. Lengthen drip runs instead of adding days.
  5. Delete extra start times you added during summer.
  6. Walk the system on your watering day. Look for broken heads, geysers, and emitters that popped off. A leak you miss now runs every week until March.
  7. Check your rain sensor or smart controller. If you don’t have one, SNWA offers a rebate on smart irrigation controllers that adjust to the weather on their own.

Still watering grass nobody uses?

Winter is a smart time to plan a grass conversion, before the spring rush. SNWA currently pays single-family homeowners $5 per square foot of grass replaced with desert landscaping on the first 10,000 square feet. Las Vegas Valley Water District customers get another $2 per square foot on top of that, for $7 combined.

One catch: the lawn has to be alive and watered when SNWA does its pre-conversion visit. If you stop watering it this winter to save money, you could lose the rebate. Apply first. Our SNWA rebate guide walks through the steps.

  • HOAs and businesses: starting January 1, 2027, Nevada law bans using Colorado River water on nonfunctional grass at properties that aren’t zoned only for single-family homes. That covers street-side strips, medians, and decorative HOA common areas. If your property still has that grass, the clock is short.

Common questions

  • When does the winter schedule end? February 28. On March 1 it goes back to three assigned days a week through April.
  • Can I water on Sunday in winter? No. Sprinkler watering is never allowed on Sunday in the Las Vegas Valley.
  • Do I need to water my desert plants at all in winter? Usually yes, just much less. Established desert plants may only need water every one to two weeks. Winter rain can let you skip a cycle.
  • My controller is too old to set this up. Now what? It might be time to replace it. A smart controller handles seasonal changes for you, and SNWA’s rebate helps with the cost.

Let us check your system

A controller set wrong or a leak you can’t see wastes water every week until spring. We repair irrigation, convert spray zones to drip, and install full desert landscapes across Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas.

If you’re ready to swap grass for something that doesn’t need three days a week, see our grass removal page or contact us for a free consultation. Call (725) 305-1220 to talk it through.

Watering rules and rebate amounts are updated by local water agencies and can change. Confirm the current schedule for your address on the SNWA or LVVWD website before setting your controller.