Austin Water Restrictions: What They Mean for Your Landscaping

Austin’s water restrictions are not temporary emergency rules. The Conservation Stage — one day per week for automatic irrigation — is Austin’s permanent year-round baseline. It does not expire. It is the starting point, and things only get more restrictive from there. If your landscape depends on three or four irrigation days per week, it will not survive in Austin long term. Here is what every stage means for your yard and what you can do about it.

Austin’s Water Restriction Stages

All irrigation stages restrict watering hours to midnight–10 a.m. or 7 p.m.–midnight. Mid-day watering is prohibited at all stages because evaporation wastes 30–50% of the water before it reaches roots.

Your Watering Day

Your assigned watering day is based on your address number:

Check your specific watering day at austintexas.gov/water/find-your-watering-day. MUD (Municipal Utility District) and WCID customers may have different schedules set by their district — check with your utility provider.

What This Means for Your Lawn

The math on one day per week

Bermuda grass and St. Augustine — the two dominant Austin lawn grasses — need approximately 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week during summer to stay green. A well-designed irrigation system can deliver about 0.5 inches per zone in a 15–20 minute cycle. With one watering day, you can run each zone twice (early morning and evening) to deliver approximately 1 inch.

This is enough to keep Bermuda alive and mostly green. It is not enough to keep St. Augustine lush — expect some browning and stress during July and August. At Stage 2 (one day every two weeks), both grasses go dormant. At Stage 3, automatic irrigation is prohibited entirely.

Lawn survival by grass type

If you have St. Augustine and want it to survive drought stages, drip irrigation or hand watering are your backup options. Drip gets two days per week at Conservation Stage, and hand watering with a handheld hose is allowed any day at any time during all stages except the most severe emergencies.

What This Means for Your Landscape Beds

Established xeriscape plants and native plants need little to no supplemental irrigation once established (typically after 1–2 growing seasons). Newly installed plants need regular watering for 30–90 days to establish roots.

Strategies for new plantings during restrictions

• Hand water daily: Allowed at any time during all stages. A slow trickle from a handheld hose for 2–3 minutes per plant is the most water-efficient way to establish new plants
• Use drip irrigation: Gets two watering days per week at Conservation Stage and is far more efficient than spray heads. Drip delivers water directly to the root zone with minimal evaporation
• Apply for a variance: Austin Water offers temporary variances for newly installed landscapes that need additional irrigation during the establishment period
• Mulch heavily: 3–4 inches of hardwood mulch around new plantings reduces soil evaporation by 50–70% and keeps roots cooler
• Plant in fall: October through November is the best time to install new plants in Austin. Cooler temperatures, shorter days, and typically more rainfall give plants months to establish before summer heat

Fines and Enforcement

Austin Water enforces restrictions through community reporting, meter data analysis, and field inspections. A malfunctioning irrigation system that runs on the wrong day or causes water to flow onto the street is a common violation that homeowners do not realize is happening. An irrigation audit is the easiest way to prevent accidental violations.

HOA Protections

Texas Property Code § 202.007 is clear: your HOA cannot fine you for a brown lawn during water restrictions. Specifically, an HOA cannot:

• Fine you for a dormant or brown lawn caused by compliance with mandatory watering restrictions
• Require you to water more than the allowed schedule
• Prevent you from implementing water-efficient landscaping (xeriscape, native plants, gravel)
• Require you to replace drought-dormant turf during active restrictions

This protection applies regardless of what your HOA’s CC&Rs say about lawn maintenance. If your HOA sends a violation notice for a brown lawn during water restrictions, cite Texas Property Code § 202.007 in your response.

Austin Water Rebates and Programs

Program availability and rebate amounts change periodically. Check austintexas.gov for current offerings. The irrigation audit alone is worth requesting — repairs from a single audit typically reduce outdoor water use by 30–50%.

Designing a Restriction-Proof Landscape

The question is not whether Austin will face Stage 2 or Stage 3 restrictions again — it is when. The Highland Lakes that supply Austin’s water are vulnerable to multi-year droughts. A landscape designed around restrictions performs well in every stage:

The restriction-proof approach

1. Reduce turf to what you use: Keep lawn only where you walk on it, play on it, or need it for pets. Convert the rest to xeriscape beds, gravel zones, or hardscape
2. Choose Bermuda or buffalo grass: Both survive Stage 2 dormancy and recover when watering resumes. St. Augustine is the highest-risk lawn grass in Austin
3. Plant natives and adapted species: Plants adapted to Austin’s climate need no supplemental water once established
4. Install drip irrigation for beds: Drip gets more favorable treatment at every restriction stage than spray irrigation
5. Mulch everything: 3–4 inches of hardwood mulch in beds reduces watering needs by 50% or more
6. Add rainwater harvesting: A cistern collects roof runoff for use during restrictions — rainwater is not subject to watering restrictions

What Red Agave Builds

Most of what we install needs no supplemental irrigation after establishment. Our xeriscape designs, native plant gardens, gravel landscapes, and hardscape projects — patios, fire features, outdoor kitchens — look the same at Conservation Stage as they do at Stage 3. That is the point. See our signature projects for landscapes that perform in every restriction stage, then schedule a consultation.