Stage 2 Drought Restrictions: What Houston Homeowners Need to Know

Every summer I get calls from homeowners who just got a violation notice in the mail. They had no idea restrictions were in effect. A $200 fine for watering on the wrong day is entirely avoidable — but you have to know the rules first.

Houston implements drought restrictions in stages, and Stage 2 is the one that catches most people off guard. It usually kicks in when Lake Houston or the other water supply reservoirs drop to certain levels, or when demand consistently outpaces supply during a prolonged heat event. Here's exactly what it means for your irrigation system.

What Stage 2 Actually Restricts

Under Stage 2, outdoor watering with an irrigation system is limited to one day per week, based on your address:

• Even-numbered addresses: Water on Thursdays only
• Odd-numbered addresses: Water on Mondays only

Watering is only allowed before 10am or after 8pm — not during midday heat when most of it evaporates anyway. That restriction actually makes good agronomic sense regardless of drought conditions. Watering in the middle of the day during a Texas summer is wasteful even when restrictions aren't in effect.

What Counts as "Watering" Under These Rules

The restriction applies to any outdoor watering using an automated irrigation system or a sprinkler attached to a hose. Hand watering with a handheld hose is generally exempt, as is watering new sod or freshly planted material (with a permit). Drip irrigation is often treated differently as well — check current city guidelines since exemptions can shift.

One thing people get wrong: the restriction is per zone cycle, not per system run. Running your full system takes multiple zones, but if it all happens on Monday before 10am, you're compliant. Just don't split your schedule so that some zones run Tuesday morning — that's a violation.

Fines and How Enforcement Works

Violations are typically $100 for a first offense, rising to $200 and then $500 for subsequent citations. Enforcement is complaint-driven mostly — neighbors noticing a system running on the wrong day — but Houston Public Works does conduct patrols in neighborhoods where complaints are concentrated.

The notices are mailed. By the time you get one, you've already been cited. There's no warning for a first offense under the current ordinance — it goes straight to a fine.

How to Program Your Controller for Stage 2 Compliance

This is where I spend a lot of time on service calls during restriction periods. Most homeowners set their controller once and forget it. When restrictions change, the controller doesn't know.

The steps vary by brand, but the general process is:

1. Delete or disable any existing watering schedules (don't just override them — old schedules can reactivate)
2. Set a new schedule on the correct day for your address (Monday or Thursday)
3. Set start time to 5am or 6am to complete all zones before the 10am cutoff
4. Calculate run time per zone — during Stage 2, most Houston lawns need about 20–25 minutes per zone on St. Augustine, 15–18 on Bermuda
5. Confirm there's no rain delay active that might push the schedule to the wrong day

If you have a smart controller like a Rachio or Hunter Hydrawise, these can pull weather data and skip watering automatically. That's actually useful during restrictions — it won't waste your one allowed watering day on a morning after a good rain.

What Happens If Your System Runs on the Wrong Day

If you wake up and realize your system ran on the wrong day, document it. If you have a smart controller with run logs, screenshot them. If there was a malfunction — a stuck valve, a controller glitch — that can sometimes be used to contest a citation, but you need the documentation to support the argument.

More practically: if your system is running when it shouldn't be, there may be a real mechanical problem. A zone that runs outside its programmed schedule usually means a failed valve solenoid or a short in the wiring. Call us — that's a repair, not a settings issue.

When Do Restrictions Lift?

The City of Houston Water Conservation office posts current restriction status at houstonwater.org. They also issue press releases when stages change. Restrictions typically lift in fall when temperatures drop and reservoir levels recover, but there's no fixed calendar date — it depends on rainfall and supply conditions year to year.

Subscribe to Houston Public Works alerts if you want an email when restrictions change. That's the most reliable way to stay current.