EMERGENCY DROUGHT RESPONSE ORDERS
Boise City Code § 1-17-7
in effect1-17-7: EMERGENCY DROUGHT RESPONSE ORDERS:
After a declaration of a drought emergency, the Mayor may issue the following emergency drought response orders, as deemed appropriate by the Mayor, relying on information from municipal water providers, local, regional, statewide, or nationwide authorities, and, when practical in consultation with such authorities. The types of orders are modeled after a phased approach recommended by the state: education and recommendations for proactive conservation; specific voluntary efficiency and improvement measures; then active mitigation through mandatory measures; and finally, significant restrictions. Each type of order builds upon the prior and requires compliance with any provisions of a previous, less stringent order. For example, when a drought emergency necessitates a mandatory reduction order, all provisions of any prior advisory or voluntary reduction order not modified or specifically lifted shall remain in force and effect. The Mayor may issue any order that is necessary based on the conditions of the emergency drought, as authorized in subsection 1-17-6C; they do not have to be issued sequentially. Any City standards or guidelines, as hereafter adopted or amended, for issuing an emergency drought response order are incorporated by reference and made a part of this Section and shall be enforced as requirements of this chapter.
A. Advisory Order: The Mayor may enact an advisory order providing information and recommending guidelines for conserving potable water to lessen or prevent worsening of the effects of a drought, including reducing consumption, fixing leaks or other aging water system infrastructure, or upgrading or replacing products and appliances with more efficient models.
B. Voluntary Reduction Order: The Mayor may enact a voluntary reduction order, providing specific measures to voluntarily reduce potable water use.
1. The order shall include recommended watering days and times for irrigation purposes.
2. The order should include specific activities applicable to commercial, domestic, and recreational and aesthetic purposes.
C. Mandatory Reduction Order: The Mayor may enact a mandatory reduction order, providing specific activities required to reduce potable water use.
1. The order shall establish mandatory watering days and times for irrigation purposes.
2. The order should include a target for potable water use reduction, and include specific activities applicable to commercial, domestic, and recreational and aesthetic purposes that may achieve that target.
3. The order may include certain recreational and aesthetic purposes that are prohibited, such as refilling noncommercial, privately-owned pools or hot tubs or operating water fountains or features that do not support aquatic life.
4. The order may limit the days or times potable water may be used for certain commercial purposes.
D. Mandatory Cessation Order: The Mayor may enact a mandatory cessation order, providing specific activities to cease in order to significantly reduce potable water use.
1. The order shall either prohibit potable use for irrigation purposes or enact measures to significantly restrict potable water use for irrigation purposes. Significant restrictions shall include irrigation purposes that are: prohibited in certain geographical areas or on certain features, for example golf courses, except for the greens; limited by square footage of lands; and, for those irrigation purposes still allowed, establish mandatory methods (such as hand-watering or drip irrigation), watering days and times.
2. The order shall either prohibit potable water use for recreational and aesthetic purposes or enact measures to significantly restrict potable water use for such recreational and aesthetic purposes. Significant restrictions shall specify which recreational and aesthetic purposes are still allowed, the reasons therefore, and the conditions under which they are still allowed.
3. The order shall include a target for potable water use reduction, and include required activities applicable to commercial purposes that may achieve that target, such as serving drinking water in restaurants only as requested by the customer. The order should include activities applicable to domestic purpose that may achieve that target.
4. The order may include any other reasonable provisions that are necessary to restrict potable water use, such as delaying new landscape work or prohibiting the use of water for dust control or compaction until the water shortage has ended. (Ord. 28-26, 6-30-2026)
Source: Boise City, Idaho, City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/boise_id/latest/boise/0-0-0-89855Fetched: 11/1/2026