Water Restrictions in North Carolina– 2026

Current status (July 2026): all 100 counties in drought, Raleigh under Stage 1

North Carolina is in its driest year since systematic records began in 1895. As of 9 July 2026, NC DEQ reports all 100 counties in drought, with nine in exceptional (D4) drought, including Durham and Orange in the Triangle, and 46 counties in extreme (D3) drought. This is the first time every county has been in drought at once.

Raleigh Water (about 650,000 customers across Raleigh, Garner, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon) has been under Stage 1 mandatory restrictions since 20 April 2026. In-ground and manual sprinklers may run only between midnight and 10 a.m., on Tuesdays for odd-numbered addresses and Wednesdays for even-numbered addresses. Hose-end sprinklers may run 6 to 10 a.m. or 6 to 10 p.m. on the same assigned day. Handheld hoses with a shut-off nozzle, soaker hoses and drip irrigation are permitted any time, because they deliver water efficiently to roots. Raleigh Water is granting no watering exemptions for landscaping installed after 20 April 2026. Report concerns or ask questions at 919-996-3245.

On 7 July 2026 the Raleigh City Council approved an ordinance giving the City Manager flexibility to escalate to Stage 2 early, without waiting for the usual trigger of Falls Lake falling to 45 percent, and on to Stage 3 if usage does not fall. This does not activate Stage 2: Raleigh remains under Stage 1. Stage 2 would mean no spray irrigation at all and disconnection of irrigation-only service, with athletic fields limited to one day a week. Falls Lake storage is around 62 percent of capacity in mid-July, several feet below its level a year earlier, after the seventh-driest June on record.

Enforcement is education first, then a warning, then civil penalties. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center outlook keeps drought likely through at least the end of September. Meteorologists quoted by WRAL have said the state needs on the order of 10 to 15 inches of rain, potentially from a tropical system, to meaningfully end this drought: the recent storms help but do not end it.

🔴 BREAKING (May 1, 2026): Catawba-Wateree Basin enters Stage 2 LIP — first since 2009

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG) declared Stage 2 of the Low Inflow Protocolon May 1, 2026 — the first Stage 2 declaration since 2009. Mandatory restrictions in effect since Friday, May 15, 2026 across all 24 counties in the basin (NC + SC), affecting more than 2 million people.

30 NC communities affected: Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Mooresville, Statesville, Hickory, Gastonia, Concord, Kannapolis, Belmont, Mount Holly, Lenoir, Morganton, Valdese, Indian Trail, Monroe, Waxhaw, and Weddington, plus the Two Rivers Utilities Gaston County cluster (Cramerton, Bessemer City, Stanley, Dallas, McAdenville, Ranlo, Lowell, and High Shoals). Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Stanly, and Union Counties are now in D4 Exceptional drought — first since 2008.

Stage 2 rules: 2 days/week, 6 PM–6 AM only. Odd addresses Tue/Sat; even Wed/Sun. Pool top-off only Thu/Sun. No vehicle washing at home. $100 first-offence fines. Goal: 5–10% regional reduction. Stage updates posted 1st and 16th of each month.

Charlotte Water service area — 7 cities now covered

Charlotte, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville— all under the same Charlotte Water Stage 2 LIP schedule in effect since May 15, 2026. Mecklenburg County is in D4 exceptional drought (first since 2008). Customers in distributor towns follow the same Charlotte Water rules as central Charlotte. Pool top-off Thu/Sun only; $100 first-offence fines; complaints handled via 3-1-1.

View the full Charlotte Water utility profile → Stage triggers, Mountain Island Lake supply, treatment-plant capacity, and the 7 service-area city pages currently on this site.

Union County — 4 cities now covered

Indian Trail, Monroe, Waxhaw, and Weddington— all in D4 exceptional drought, all on Stage 2 LIP in effect since May 15, 2026. Indian Trail, Waxhaw, and Weddington are served by Union County Public Works; Monroe operates its own utility (City of Monroe Water Resources) and acts as a wholesale supplier for several smaller Union County communities. Mint Hill spans the Mecklenburg/Union county line.