What Are Stage 3 Water Restrictions?
Published: July 8, 2026
Stage 3 in 30 seconds
When utilities trigger Stage 3
Stage 3 is severe — utilities don’t reach for it lightly. Common triggers across US plans:
- US Drought Monitor D3 (Extreme) or D4 (Exceptional) sustained for two or more consecutive weeks.
- Reservoir storage below 50 percent of seasonal target (sometimes below 30 percent for the Stage 3 trigger).
- Edwards Aquifer J-17 well below 640 feet (SAWS, surrounding Edwards Aquifer-permitted utilities).
- Lake Mead elevation below 1,090 feet (SNWA Stage 3 trigger).
- Aquifer recharge crisis — Ogallala monitoring wells dropping below historical lows.
- Sustained Stage 2 failing to produce sufficient reduction during peak summer demand.
Standard Stage 3 rules
- Days per week: 1, by address parity. Common patterns: SAWS Stage 3 — 0/1 = Mon, 2/3 = Tue, 4/5 = Wed, 6/7 = Thu, 8/9 = Fri (no weekend irrigation). Eagle River Water/Sanitation: 1 day/week assigned by neighbourhood.
- Hours: overnight only on most plans — midnight to 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. to midnight. SAWS hours: 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight. The midday blackout is firmly enforced.
- Hand watering with shut-off nozzle: typically allowed during the same morning/evening windows. SAWS allows hand watering with shut-off nozzle two days per week.
- Drip and soaker hoses: usually permitted for trees and shrubs (not lawn) during the morning/evening windows.
- Pool fills: banned. Top-offs may be permitted with documented evaporation loss claim.
- New sod and seed: banned. No variances.
- Vehicle washing at home: banned. Commercial car washes that recycle water remain open.
- Pressure washing: banned for non-essential uses. Pre-paint and health/safety cleaning may remain permitted.
- Decorative water features: must use recirculating water; many fountains drained.
- Charity / fundraiser car washes: banned.
- Restaurant water service: on request only, in most state-level Stage 3 declarations.
Real Stage 3 cities — case studies
Cities currently at Stage 3
Case study: SAWS Stage 3 (Texas)
San Antonio Water System (SAWS) entered Stage 3 in June 2024 and has remained continuously at Stage 3 ever since — over 22 months as of May 2026. This is the first Stage 3 in SAWS’s 30-year history. The trigger is the Edwards Aquifer J-17 monitoring well elevation: SAWS Stage 3 activates when J-17 falls below 640 feet and lifts only after J-17 stays above 640 feet for 15 consecutive days. As of April 2026, J-17 sat at 625.9 feet — well below the Stage 3 exit threshold and approaching the 630-foot Stage 4 trigger.
SAWS Stage 3 caps lawn irrigation at 1 day per week by address digit (0/1 = Monday, 2/3 = Tuesday, 4/5 = Wednesday, 6/7 = Thursday, 8/9 = Friday). Hours: 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. to midnight on the assigned day. No weekend irrigation. Hand watering with shut-off nozzle is allowed two days per week. New sod and seed installation is prohibited entirely. First-offence residential fine is $137; commercial fines reach $5,000.
Read the full schedule on the San Antonio, TX water restrictions page.
Case study: Eagle / Vail Stage 3 (Colorado)
Eagle River Water and Sanitation District (ERWSD) — serving Vail, Avon, Eagle, and Edwards in Colorado’s upper Eagle valley — is at Stage 3, the most severe in Colorado. The trigger is upper Eagle River basin storage and snowpack: a third consecutive below-average winter pushed reservoirs below the 30 percent of seasonal target threshold. Stage 3 in this district caps outdoor watering at 1 day per week, overnight only.
Notable: the Vail valley has a high concentration of HOA-managed properties and short-term rentals. Colorado’s HB 21-1229 explicitly protects homeowners from HOA fines for compliant brown lawns under Stage 3. Read more on the Vail, CO water restrictions page.
Case study: Kerrville Stage 3 (Texas Hill Country)
Kerrville is at Stage 3 under City of Kerrville and Upper Guadalupe River Authority coordination. The Hill Country drought of record continues with record-low Guadalupe River flows and Edwards Aquifer J-17 well levels affecting the entire region. Kerrville Stage 3 caps lawn irrigation at 1 day per week, with allowed hours midnight to 10 a.m. or 8 p.m. to midnight on the assigned address-digit day. Read more on the Kerrville, TX water restrictions page.
Stage 3 vs Stage 4 comparison
| Rule | Stage 3 | Stage 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Days / week | 1 day/week (or stricter) | Once every 14 days (or full ban) |
| Permitted hours | Overnight only (often 7pm–10am or midnight–6am) | Brief overnight windows only, or complete prohibition |
| Fines (first) | $250–$1,000 | $500–$2,000 |
| Fines (repeat) | $500–$2,000 | $2,000+ plus possible service shut-off |
| Vehicle washing | Banned at home (commercial recycling only) | Banned (no exceptions) |
| Pool fill | Banned (variance required) | Banned (no exceptions) |
| New sod / seed | Banned | Banned |
| Pressure washing | Banned | Banned (commercial included) |
What separates Stage 4 from Stage 3 is the move from once-weekly to once-every-14-days (or full prohibition), banning of hand-watering for lawns, $500+ first-offence fines, and inclusion of commercial pressure washing in the prohibition. Stage 4 is reserved for genuine supply-continuity emergencies. SSLGC’s once-every-14-days schedule (Schertz, Cibolo) is the most restrictive Stage 4 currently active in the US.
Surviving Stage 3
Practical advice from homeowners and landscape professionals across active Stage 3 cities:
- Prioritise trees over lawn. A brown lawn recovers in weeks; a lost mature tree takes 20 to 40 years to replace at residential scale, and the replacement cost runs into thousands of dollars per tree.
- Use grey water from washing machinesfor ornamental trees and shrubs (where state law permits — Texas, Arizona, California, and Colorado all allow simple greywater systems with permits). Untreated greywater can’t go on edible vegetables.
- Mulch heavily with 50 to 75 mm of bark, compost, or pine straw. Mulched beds use roughly half the water of bare soil to maintain the same plant moisture.
- Accept lawn dormancy.Bermuda, Buffalo Grass, and St. Augustine all survive 6 to 8 weeks without irrigation by going dormant. The crown stays alive even when the blade browns. Don’t panic-water.
- Capture AC condensate. A 3-ton residential AC produces 5 to 20 gallons of condensate per day in summer, all exempt from drought restrictions. Plumb the line into a capture barrel for tree watering.
- Plan a xeriscape conversion for next year. Most utilities expand turf-removal rebates during Stage 3 — SNWA pays $5 per square foot, JVWCD pays $1 to $1.50, SAWS pays $0.60. Convert the front yard first; the long-term water savings are substantial.
- Cycle and soak on the one assigned day: instead of one continuous 30-minute run that creates runoff, do three 10-minute cycles separated by 30 minutes. Caliche and clay-loam soils need this on Stage 3.
- Monitor your water bill closely. Smart-meter utilities will flag spikes automatically; tickets follow within days. The error-correction loop is fast — fix problems quickly.
Find your city
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