Sprinkler cops? Denver Water proposes a 15-person lawn patrol for 2027

Have you always wanted a badge, a clipboard and the power to give your neighbor a hard time about his sprinklers? Your dream job may be coming. Denver Water has proposed hiring a team of seasonal “lawn patrol” workers for summer 2027 to enforce the utility’s tough drought watering rules.

The proposal calls for 15 temporary positions paying $25 an hour. The patrol would make an estimated 2,500 to 3,500 stops or violations a month, more than double the warnings and violations from this year. Staff say a dedicated crew would “demonstrate that Denver Water is enforcing its rules,” and they expect the patrol to save about 2,000 acre-feet of water on its own.

This summer, Denver Water customers could water only two days a week. Starting Oct. 1, all lawn watering became off-limits. Since then, a first offense costs residential customers $500, and repeat violations cost $1,000. Through late September, the utility had issued only 110 fines. Denver Water expects drought restrictions to continue into at least the first part of next summer, which is why it wants more help next year. The same rules apply in the suburbs Denver Water serves, so the patrol could show up outside Denver too.

The board was set to vote on the plan this week, along with higher irrigation rates aimed at homeowners with big, thirsty lawns. If it passes, we’ll keep an eye out for the job posting. In the meantime, this is a good reminder to turn off the sprinklers and blow them out if you haven’t yet.