Waco, TX Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Waco, TX, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Stage 1 trigger
- Lake Waco at 457 msl (~80% capacity)
- Stage 1/2 watering days
- Two days per week by address digit
- Daily watering ban
- 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Stage 3 watering days
- One day per week by address digit
- Stage 4
- All outdoor watering prohibited
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor fine per Sec. 1-14, per day
- Repeat violation
- Water service may be disconnected
Summary
Waco's Water Conservation and Drought/Emergency Contingency Plan imposes mandatory landscape watering days once the city manager declares a drought stage. Under Stage 1, triggered when Lake Waco falls to 457 feet msl (about 80% capacity), outdoor watering is capped at two days a week by street-address digit and banned citywide from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
For all accounts, all landscape and other outdoor water usage at each service address shall be limited to two days a week based on the last digit in the physical street address, according to the schedule identified directly below; however, landscape and other outdoor water usage is prohibited from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Last Digit of Address / Allowed Landscape Water Days: Odd Number (1,3,5,7,9) - Sunday and Thursday; Even Number (0,2,4,6,8) - Wednesday and Saturday; No Watering Monday, Tuesday, Friday - Storage Recovery Days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 26, Article IV, Division 2 of the Waco Code lets the city manager declare Stage 1 through Stage 4 drought/emergency restrictions once triggering criteria in Sec. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Stage 1 begins at 457 msl (about 80% capacity); Stage 2 at 452 msl (60%); Stage 3 at 449 msl (50%); and Stage 4, an emergency shortage, at 445 msl (40%). Under Sec. any day. Stage 3 tightens this to one day a week by address digit and bans handheld-hose watering except with an automatic shut-off nozzle; Stage 4 prohibits all outdoor watering, including drip irrigation, until the emergency ends.
"Excessive watering" that produces runoff extending more than ten feet from the property, or washing down of buildings, sidewalks, driveways or parking areas outside allowed days/times, is separately monitored and can draw a notice under Sec. 26-95. Customers may apply to the city manager for a variance under Sec. 26-99, but variances expire automatically if the drought stage escalates or the declaration ends, and Stage 3 allows no variances for newly installed plantings at all.
Violations & Fines
Watering outside the assigned day, time window, or stage rules is a Class C misdemeanor under Sec. 26-96, punishable by a fine set in Sec. 1-14, with each day of violation a separate offense. Violators may be cited by any city employee, police officer, or designee and must appear in municipal court. During Stage 2 through Stage 4, two observed violations, or three convictions within any 30-day period, authorize the city to disconnect water service until a reconnection fee and delinquent charges are paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Waco right now?
What triggers Waco's Stage 1 watering restrictions?
Can I hand-water my plants outside my assigned day during a drought stage?
What happens if I violate Waco's watering restrictions?
Can I get an exception to water new landscaping more often?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waco
How Waco compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Waco to another location·View the Texas landscaping rules overview
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