Aurora's Permanent Sprinkler Shutoff Is Now October 15, and Turning It Off Is Not the Same as Winterizing

Aurora, Colorado Oct 4, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Aurora homeowners have eleven days until the city's new sprinkler shutoff deadline, and Superior Mile High Plumbing, an Aurora-based plumbing service provider, is warning that the most common way residents will meet it is also the way that gets expensive by spring.

On September 28, the Aurora City Council passed an ordinance that permanently restricts spray irrigation from October 1 through April 30 for most areas, and from October 15 through April 30 for residential yards, parks, and athletic fields. Residential customers with lawns on the residential meter must stop irrigating by October 15. The ordinance also bans ornamental water features such as fountains and decorative ponds and restricts new turf grass installation, while hand watering of trees and shrubs remains allowed year-round. Aurora remains in a Stage 1 drought, with reservoirs at roughly 41 percent of capacity, and Aurora Water reports that outdoor irrigation accounts for about 40 percent of its annual demand.

The city has framed the shutoff date as more than a water rule. Aurora Water notes that an early-October shutoff is in line with best practices for protecting irrigation pipes from freeze damage, since Colorado's first frost typically arrives in the first week of October, and it is encouraging residents to winterize early.

That word, winterize, is where Superior Mile High Plumbing says most homeowners fall short.

"Every year we see the same thing. People set the controller to off, maybe close a valve, and they think they're done," said Hector Frias-Chavarria of Superior Mile High Plumbing. "The system is off, but it's still full of water. That water freezes, expands, and cracks the lines underground where you can't see it. You find out in April when you turn it back on and half the yard doesn't work. Shutting off and winterizing are two different jobs, and this year the city is making the deadline for the first one. The second one is still on the homeowner."

A sprinkler system holds water in its lateral lines, valves, manifolds, and heads even after the controller is off and the supply valve is closed. When that water freezes, it expands and splits PVC lines, cracks valve bodies, and blows out heads. Because the damage is underground, it usually goes unnoticed until spring startup, when a homeowner discovers dry zones, flooded low spots, or a water bill that jumped before the system was ever turned on.

The most vulnerable component is also the most visible. The backflow preventer, the brass assembly mounted above ground near the house, is the first thing to freeze and the most expensive common failure. It sits on the home's water supply, which means a split backflow assembly does not just disable the sprinklers. It can leak domestic water continuously, in some cases toward the foundation, and it is the homeowner's responsibility to repair.

Proper winterization means closing the interior irrigation shutoff valve inside the home, draining the system, blowing out the lines with compressed air at the correct pressure and volume for the pipe size, and draining and insulating or removing the backflow preventer. A standard garage air compressor run at full pressure can crack fittings just as effectively as ice can, which is why the blowout is the step most often done wrong.

Superior Mile High Plumbing's role begins where the irrigation system meets the house. The interior shutoff valve, often a stop-and-waste valve in the basement or crawlspace, the backflow preventer, and the home's exterior hose bibs are all part of the domestic plumbing, and failures there are plumbing repairs rather than landscaping fixes. The company recommends that homeowners confirm the interior shutoff actually closes fully, since a valve that has not been operated in years may not seal, and that every outdoor hose be disconnected before the first hard freeze. A hose left attached traps water in the faucet and can split the pipe inside the wall, a repair that often does not reveal itself until the faucet is used again in spring.

With Colorado's typical first frost already here and the city's deadline on October 15, the company's advice is to treat the two dates as the same week. Winterizing after a hard freeze is damage control, not prevention.

Superior Mile High Plumbing provides sewer line inspection, repair, and replacement, drain cleaning, and water heater repair and installation throughout Aurora and the Denver metro area. The company operates 24 hours a day with licensed and insured technicians and focuses on permanent repairs and transparent pricing.

Aurora homeowners with questions about their interior irrigation shutoff, backflow preventer, or exterior faucets ahead of the deadline can contact Superior Mile High Plumbing at (303) 304-0784 or visit superiormilehighplumbing.com.

About Superior Mile High Plumbing
Superior Mile High Plumbing provides residential plumbing services throughout Aurora and the Denver metropolitan area, specializing in sewer line inspection and repair, drain cleaning, and water heater services. The company focuses on permanent repairs built for Colorado's plumbing challenges.

Contact:
Superior Mile High Plumbing
Aurora, CO
(303) 304-0784
https://superiormilehighplumbing.com/

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Superior Mile High Plumbing

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