How Utah homeowners can navigate water conservation efforts and HOA regulations

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Utah faces a serious drought with 100% of the state affected in some form.
• Residents are urged to reduce water use; though for some ... HOA rules may complicate efforts.
• Homeowners should understand HOA regulations and consider water-wise landscaping options.

SALT LAKE CITY — The month of May is halfway gone, but Utah water leaders and local officials continue to plead with residents to limit irrigation use.

The state remains in what the Utah Department of Water Resources calls a "serious drought," due to record-low snowpack.

"Currently, 100% of the state is in some form of drought, and 59% is in extreme drought," the department stated in a media release on Thursday. The ongoing drought conditions prompted water districts across the state to delay the start of the irrigation season until May 15.

However, Utahns are still being asked to reduce water use.

Residents in Salt Lake County served by the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District are urged to cut their water use by 10% and only water lawns twice a week — after the agency issued a level 2 "severe" notice.

"Of course, if your lawn and plants are still looking healthy right now, there's no reason to turn on your sprinkler system right away – the longer you can wait, the better," said Kelly Good, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District spokesperson, in a statement to KSL.

Further north, residents served by the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District are urged to cut back by 20%. Such limitations could pose issues for homeowners living under Homeowners Association rules, who are navigating efforts to conserve water while avoiding potential fines for unkempt lawns.

Trever Midgley, president and founder of HOA Strategies, a property management company in Kaysville, says residents should be aware that Utah laws trump regulations set by their homeowners' associations.

"What owners should know is that every HOA in Utah should have water-wise rules of what's allowed in your neighborhood, so it's key for homeowners to kind of understand what those rules are, if you operate within that framework with their HOA," he said.

Under Utah's Community Association Act, which governs all HOAs and community associations — excluding condominiums — residents wanting to limit irrigation use due to drought conditions are protected in doing so, and associations are expected to comply with the law.

Yet Midgley encourages homeowners to be aware of the rules in place in the community where they reside.

"So, while yes, you can move to water-wise landscaping, you still want to make sure you understand if there are any materials that are not allowed, etc.," he cautioned. "And make sure you just kind of work with your HOA board to get that approved before you put that investment into your property."

Water conservation experts suggest proper irrigation methods, such as watering early in the morning and infrequently.

"​​The majority of us are applying twice as much water as we need to, so quite honestly, we could just, you know, take that (and) cut it in half, that would be massive savings just to start irrigating right, without making any changes in your landscape," said Bryan Hopkins, a professor of plant and wildlife sciences at Brigham Young University.

Another idea that could be more costly involves a type of grass that can withstand drought.

Up until about two years ago, hybrid Bermuda grass was considered a noxious weed in Utah, but thanks to the efforts of Hopkins and other researchers, it was legalized in 2024 as a more drought-resistant grass.

The downside, however, is its availability, though Hopkins said that may begin to improve as demand increases, and more sod farms may start offering it in the future.

For residents seeking more ways to conserve water as drought conditions may potentially worsen, Hopkins suggests visiting the Utah State University Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping's website for helpful tips.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Utah waterUtahSalt Lake CountyEnvironment
Curtis Booker

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Curtis Booker is a reporter for KSL.