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Water Use Management Ordinance
To help conserve our treated drinking water, the City of Austin has adopted a water use
management ordinance (Chapter 6-4 of City Code). Violations are Class C misdemeanors, with each
instance punishable by a fine of $500. The ordinance is enforced, but our primary goal is to work with
customers to obtain compliance, not to issue fines. To report violations, please use
our online reporting form or call 311.
| Customer Class | Outdoor Water Use Days | Effective |
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| Commercial, Multifamily | Tuesday and/or Friday | Year-Round |
Residential
Odd-numbered address | Wednesday and/or Saturday | May 1 - September 30 |
Residential
Even-numbered address | Thursday and/or Sunday | May 1 - September 30 |
Year-round: No watering with automatic irrigation systems between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
May 1 - Sept 30: No watering between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. except with hand-held hose. |
Conservation Regulations - Permanent
The City of Austin prohibits certain types of water waste at all times during the year.
Please see our section on water waste for more information.
Effective October 1, 2007, the following year-round restrictions apply:
- No property may water with an automatic irrigation system between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- Commercial and multifamily customers must adhere to the watering schedule unless granted a variance.
Conservation Regulations - Stage 1
Stage 1 Restrictions take effect each year from May 1 through September 30. During this time,
the following additional restrictions apply:
- All customers (commercial, multifamily residential) must adhere to the watering
schedule unless granted a variance.
- No customer may water between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. except with a hand-held hose or bucket.
Conservation Regulations - Stage 2
The City Manager may implement Stage 2 conservation
measures as needed. The utility generally sets a "trigger" to indicate when those restrictions may be needed; that trigger may vary annually based on system capacity.
Customers will be notified by local media and City websites if Stage 2 restrictions are put into effect.
During Stage 2, the following additional restrictions apply:
- Customers may only operate automatic irrigation systems between midnight
and 10:00 a.m. on a designated outdoor water use day.
- Customers may not use an automatic fill valve to add water to an outdoor swimming pool, wading pool or pond.
- Customers may not wash sidewalks, driveways, parking areas or other paved surfaces except to alleviate an immediate health or safety hazard.
- Restaurants may not serve water unless requested by the customer.
- Other restrictions also apply to specific water uses such as car washing and outdoor fountains.
Conservation Regulations - Stage 3
Additional restrictions may be enacted in the case of severe drought or water emergency.
For full details, please see Chapter 6-4 of the City Code, available through the City Clerk's office.
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