Poulsbo staff propose sweeping irrigation-code rewrite; council seeks clearer exemptions and lighter enforcement for homeowners

City utility engineer Charlie Roberts presented a comprehensive rewrite of Poulsbo Municipal Code 13.12 on July 8, saying the proposed changes are intended to update an ordinance last revised in 1982 and better align the code with water-conservation best practices.

Key elements of the draft include updates to definitions (irrigation vs. sprinkler), permitted irrigation hours shifted to 6 p.m.–6 a.m. (to reduce peak demand), an odd/even address alternating-day irrigation schedule (even addresses on Monday/Wednesday/Friday; odd on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday; no routine irrigation on Sundays), and provisions addressing manual irrigation (a short-duration guidance cited as 30 minutes per event). The draft also would limit the code to city-supplied water (excluding rain-harvest and private well irrigation) and allow waivers or variances from council for specific needs.

Roberts said the rewrite also proposes a graduated enforcement approach: voluntary education first, notice of violation, civil penalties for repeated breaches and, in extreme cases, meter turn-off authority for large, unresponsive irrigation systems. The presentation included usage metrics: in 2025 Poulsbo used nearly 400,000,000 gallons of water, with about 60,000,000 gallons dedicated to irrigation; irrigation use has been increasing faster than population growth.

Council questions focused on three main areas: (1) clarity about which exemptions apply to the odd/even schedule versus the overnight hours (several exemptions in the draft apply only to the odd/even subsection); (2) whether the proposed Sunday ban is appropriate given yard-work patterns and the need to be equitable to homeowners; and (3) whether the 30-minute manual-irrigation limit might penalize appropriate multi-hour drip irrigation strategies used by some residents and commercial growers. Several members asked for more prescriptive, plain-language rules (for instance, "lawns watering restricted to 6 p.m.–6 a.m. on odd/even schedule") that would be easier to communicate.

Council members also flagged wording the city attorney suggested — notably including exemptions for fields, parks and golf courses — and urged staff to remove irrelevant categories (one councilmember suggested removing golf courses because the city doesn't have any). Several council members emphasized prioritizing education and focusing enforcement on large metered users and homeowners associations rather than single-family homeowners.

Roberts said he would return with clarified language, narrower inspection/entry language aligned with other code sections, clearer exemptions (including treatment of irrigation meters vs. single-family meters), and an approach that emphasizes outreach and voluntary compliance before civil enforcement.

No ordinance was adopted at the workshop; the item was presented as a code-rewrite workshop and staff will revise the draft before returning with an ordinance and proposed adoption steps.