Farmington residents who repeatedly water their lawns with culinary water during drought restrictions now face criminal charges and mandatory shutoffs under an ordinance the City Council adopted Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Ordinance 2026-33 creates a three-tier restriction system tied to actions by the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. It took effect immediately upon passage, according to the ordinance signed by Mayor Brett Anderson and City Recorder DeAnn Carlile.

The penalties escalate fast. A first violation draws a warning. A second offense, more than 24 hours later, brings a $200 civil citation. A third triggers a $400 fine plus one day of water disconnection. By the fourth offense, the property owner is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor carrying a minimum $600 fine and at least two days without water.

The misdemeanor charge is a strict liability offense. Intent does not matter.

Violations are charged to property owners, not tenants. Public Works Director Larry Famuliner wrote in a staff report that the city chose to hold property owners accountable because they have "ultimate control over the property," noting that proving which tenant turned on the water would be difficult.

Three levels of restriction

The ordinance links each restriction level to Weber Basin's drought actions. Level 1 is advisory, triggering community awareness when Weber Basin identifies potential shortages. Level 2 kicks in when Weber Basin cuts secondary water allocations by 20% or more, or shuts off secondary water for the season. It bans outdoor use of culinary water, with limited exceptions for hand-watering gardens with a hose and for homes without secondary water connections, which must reduce outdoor watering by the same percentage Weber Basin requires.

Level 3 is the most severe. It prohibits all outdoor culinary water use and limits supply to essential health and safety functions. The council must authorize Level 3 by resolution.

Before penalties can be enforced, the city must post notice on its website, at the Municipal Building and on social media.

Drought conditions drove the vote

The ordinance codifies a prior non-codified policy, Ordinance 2021-19, that the council had already adopted. Famuliner told the council at a June 2 work session that Farmington was facing "the worst snowpack in recent history" and needed to update its drought policy.

At that same session, Famuliner said Farmington uses 3 million gallons of water per day while Benchland Water District had just 30 million gallons in storage. Secondary water from Weber Basin was expected to be shut off by Sept. 1.

Statewide, conditions remain grim. The Utah Division of Water Resources reported Aug. 27 that reservoir storage averaged 54% full, 13% below normal and 16% below the same time last year. The division said reservoirs would continue declining until October.

Cross-connections banned

The ordinance also bans all physical connections between the city's culinary water system and non-potable sources such as secondary water lines or private wells. Homes that cannot eliminate a cross-connection must install a backflow prevention device at the homeowner's expense. The city can shut off water to any property where a required device is missing or bypassed.

What comes next

Property owners facing disconnection can request an informal hearing by filing a written request with the City Recorder before the shutoff. The City Manager or a designee must hold the hearing within two business days. The only grounds for overturning a disconnection: proving the violation did not occur.

A separate proposal to nearly triple the culinary water rate for usage above 20,000 gallons per month, raising it from $4.40 to $12.00 per 1,000 gallons, was included in Famuliner's staff report but will require a future public hearing. No date has been set. Council meeting dates and agendas are posted on the city's meetings page.