Tuscaloosa, AL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Tuscaloosa runs its irrigation limits through a five-stage water conservation plan in Sec. 16-36 rather than a year-round schedule. The mayor or a designee monitors Lake Tuscaloosa's level and system demand and declares Stage 1, mild, triggered at a 212-foot lake level or 75 percent of supply capacity, through Stage 5, emergency, triggered at 191 feet or 98 percent of capacity. Stage 1 asks only for voluntary conservation, but Stage 2, a moderate shortage declared at a 207-foot lake level or 80 percent demand, makes the odd/even watering schedule mandatory: irrigation of landscaped areas is limited to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with a street address ending in an even number, and Saturdays and Wednesdays for customers with a street address ending in an odd number. Hand-held hoses, a 5-gallon bucket or watering can, and drip irrigation systems stay exempt from the day restriction at any time. The same Stage 2 rules confine golf-course and nursery irrigation with potable water to the overnight window of 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., restrict vehicle washing to designated watering days unless done at a commercial car wash, and limit hydrant water use to firefighting absent a special construction permit.

Sec. 16-31 gives the mayor power to declare a water conservation emergency by executive order and to tailor which customers, uses, and days the mandate covers, with the order taking legal effect on publication in a local newspaper. Each stage stays in force until the triggering conditions clear for 30 straight days or the mayor or city council ends it, and ending a higher stage automatically drops the system back to the next stage down rather than lifting all restrictions at once.