Even and Odd Address Watering Days in Dallas Explained

Dallas limits automatic irrigation to two days per week, and which two days depends on your street address. The rule sounds simple, but questions come up all the time: What about a corner lot? A duplex? An HOA common area? A new house that does not have a number yet? And how do you make sure your controller actually follows the schedule?

This guide explains the even and odd address schedule in practical terms. For the full set of city watering rules, see our pillar guide to the Dallas twice-weekly watering schedule. Always confirm current details with Dallas Water Utilities.

The Basic Schedule

The City of Dallas assigns watering days by the last digit of your street address:

• Even addresses (ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8): Sundays and Thursdays
• Odd addresses (ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9): Wednesdays and Saturdays
• No address number: Sundays and Thursdays

On your assigned days, sprinkler and automatic irrigation is still not allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. That time-of-day restriction applies year-round as of the May 2026 ordinance update. See our guide to the year-round watering ban.

Why the City Uses an Address Schedule

Spreading watering across different days reduces peak demand on the water system. If every home watered on the same mornings, demand would spike. Assigning days by address evens out the load and helps extend the life of existing water supplies and infrastructure.

Common Situations

Corner lots

A corner lot typically has one official street address, which determines your watering days. If you are unsure which address is official, check your water bill.

Duplexes and small multifamily buildings

Properties with multiple addresses, such as apartment complexes and office buildings, use the lowest address number to determine their watering days. For duplexes that share one irrigation system, the same principle generally applies. If each unit has its own separate system, check with Dallas Water Utilities for guidance.

HOA common areas and entrances

HOA landscapes are often served by irrigation meters that may not have a street number. Properties without an address number follow the Sundays and Thursdays schedule. HOA managers with large common areas can also ask about variances, which the ordinance allows in certain circumstances for large properties.

New construction

A new home might have a temporary address or none at first. Once the permanent address is assigned, follow the schedule for that number. New sod and landscapes may qualify for a variance in some circumstances, excluding cool-season grasses; check with the city before planting.

Businesses

Commercial properties follow the same address-based rules for automatic irrigation. Multi-address commercial properties use the lowest address number.

What Is Allowed on Other Days

The twice-weekly schedule applies to automatic irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers. Other methods are allowed on any day:

• Hand watering with a hose
• Soaker hoses
• Drip irrigation
• Foundation watering with a hand-held hose, soaker hose, drip, or bucket

That flexibility is useful for trees, beds, containers, and dry spots. Our drip irrigation guide explains how drip can take over bed watering.

Setting Your Controller to Match

Most controllers offer several ways to choose watering days: specific days of the week, odd or even calendar dates, or intervals. Dallas assigns days by weekday, so use the specific days of the week option.

1. Select your program for lawn zones.
2. Choose custom or day-of-week watering.
3. Turn on only your two assigned days.
4. Check every other program to make sure none has extra days.
5. Set start times so all zones finish before 10 a.m.

Our step-by-step guide to programming a controller for the Dallas schedule covers start times and cycle and soak.

A common mistake: calendar odd/even

Some controllers have an odd/even day setting that waters on odd or even calendar dates, such as the 1st, 3rd, and 5th. That is not the same as the Dallas address schedule, which uses fixed weekdays. Using the calendar setting would water on the wrong days much of the time.

Smart controllers

In smart controller apps, look for watering restrictions or allowed days. Enter your two assigned days and block 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Making Two Days Work

Two watering days a week are enough for most established warm-season lawns when the system is efficient and watering is deep:

• Water deeply so moisture reaches the root zone.
• Use cycle and soak on clay soil to reduce runoff.
• Fix broken heads and leaks so water goes where it should.
• Adjust seasonally with seasonal adjust.

Our Dallas clay soil guide explains deep watering on heavy soils.

Example Weeks

Seeing the schedule laid out can help.

An even address, such as one ending in 4: lawn zones run early Sunday morning and early Thursday morning, finishing before 10 a.m. On other days, the owner can hand water a dry corner, run a soaker hose along the foundation, or let drip water the beds.

An odd address, such as one ending in 7: lawn zones run early Wednesday and early Saturday mornings. A Saturday morning cycle is a good time to walk the yard and watch each zone, since many people are home.

In both cases, if a heavy rain falls the day before a watering day, the rain sensor should pause the system. If it does not, check the sensor or use a rain delay.

Spacing Matters for the Lawn

Because even addresses water Sunday and Thursday and odd addresses water Wednesday and Saturday, the gap between watering days is uneven: three days one way and four days the other. That is fine for most established lawns watered deeply, but during a heat wave you may notice more stress on the longer gap. Rather than adding cycles, check coverage, raise seasonal adjust modestly within your assigned days, and use hand watering for any spots that need help. Our sprinkler head repair guide covers fixing the coverage problems that cause most summer dry spots.

Enforcement and Good Neighbor Tips

Watering on the wrong day, during restricted hours, or letting water run into the street can draw complaints and enforcement. Beyond the rules, a few habits help:

• Adjust heads so water stays off sidewalks and streets.
• Keep your rain and freeze sensor working so the system does not run in the rain or on freezing mornings.
• Check the controller after power outages, since clocks can reset.