Houston watering schedule 2026

No. Houston Public Works lists current watering restrictions as none, and the City rescinded Stage One of its Drought Contingency Plan effective May 29, 2024. Stage Two, the mandatory stage, last ran from August 27, 2023 until the City returned to Stage One effective December 14, 2023.

City Code 47-251 and 47-252 set the same schedule for Stage One and Stage Two: single-family homes with even-numbered addresses on Sundays and Thursdays, odd-numbered addresses on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and all other customers on Tuesdays and Fridays. A Stage Two declaration can cut this to one day: odd addresses on Saturdays, even addresses on Sundays.

The code says between 7:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. of the following day (47-251(d)(3) and 47-252(d)). The 2024 Drought Contingency Plan PDF prints 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. instead, but its Council adoption date is left blank, and the code on Municode still says 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. A declaration states which rules apply, so read it when one is issued.

Not under the drought rules while no stage is declared. In a declared Stage Two the department may give a written warning for a first violation, and later violations carry a fine of $100.00 to $2,000.00 (City Code 47-257(a)(1)). In Stage Three the range is $500.00 to $2,000.00. Separately, Section 47-37 makes any waste or misuse of city water an offense at any time.

For the Stage Two irrigation schedule, the code does not count water applied by a person holding a hose one inch wide or less, a bucket or a watering can (Section 47-249). The Stage One FAQ says a handheld garden hose can water flower beds and trees outside the schedule. Stage Three bans all outdoor use.

The Drought Contingency Plan web page gives odd-numbered addresses Sundays and Thursdays and even-numbered addresses Saturdays and Wednesdays. City Code 47-251 and 47-252, the plan PDF and the 2023 press releases say the reverse: even addresses on Sundays and Thursdays, odd addresses on Saturdays and Wednesdays. This page follows the code.

They cover homes billed by the City of Houston, including isolated systems such as Kingwood. Houston Public Works also sells water to about 2.9 million people outside the city limits. The Stage One FAQ says restrictions apply to wholesale treated water customers too, and those utilities run their own drought plans. Check the name on your water bill.

Call 311 to report leaks, as the Outdoor Water Conservation Tips page says. For questions about watering schedules, such as a homeowner association that does not follow a declared stage, the Stage One FAQ points to the Water Conservation team at WaterConservation@houstontx.gov.