What Are Stage 4 Water Restrictions?
Published: July 8, 2026
Stage 4 in 30 seconds
When Stage 4 is triggered
Stage 4 is the emergency tier of a 4-stage system — utilities don’t reach for it without genuine supply-continuity concerns. Common triggers:
- US Drought Monitor D4 (Exceptional)sustained for four or more consecutive weeks across the utility’s primary service county.
- Edwards Aquifer J-17 well below 630 feet — the threshold that escalates Edwards-permitted utilities to their most restrictive tier.
- Reservoir storage below 30 percent of seasonal target with no recovery forecast.
- Aquifer recharge crisis — when monitoring wells indicate the basin is no longer being replenished at sustainable rates.
- Imminent supply continuity threat — when utility modeling shows running out of supply within 90 days at current usage rates.
Standard Stage 4 rules
- Days per week:roughly 0.5 — once every 14 days. SSLGC’s 14-day cycle is the most restrictive Stage 4 currently in force in the US.
- Hours: brief overnight windows only. SSLGC Stage 4: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the assigned day. Boerne Stage 4 limits to 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. overnight.
- Hand watering with shut-off nozzle: permitted for trees and shrubs only, never lawn. Some utilities limit hand watering to specific allowed days.
- Drip and soaker hoses: permitted for trees under documented variance. Lawn drip is banned.
- Pool fills: banned without exception. New construction with permitted pool gets no exemption.
- New sod, seed, and turf: banned. No variances.
- Vehicle washing: banned everywhere — at home, commercial, charity. The few utilities that allow commercial recycling-equipped car washes during Stage 3 ban them entirely under Stage 4.
- Pressure washing: banned including commercial uses. Pre-paint preparation requires variance.
- Decorative water features: drained. No recirculating exemption under Stage 4.
- Restaurant water service: on request only, with required signage.
- Construction site dust: non-potable or recycled water only. Potable water dust suppression draws separate violation tickets.
- Fines: first offence $500 to $2,000; subsequent $2,000+; service shut-off available after three violations in a single declaration period.
Some utilities have Stage 5
Real Stage 4 cities — case studies
Cities currently at Stage 4
Case study: SSLGC Stage 4 (Schertz + Cibolo, TX)
The South Central Texas Lower Guadalupe Cooperative (SSLGC) serves the cities of Schertz and Cibolo plus surrounding rural customers in the San Antonio metro’s northeast quadrant. SSLGC is at Stage 4 — the most restrictive residential outdoor watering schedule currently in force in Texas. The trigger: sustained Edwards Aquifer J-17 monitoring well levels below the SSLGC Stage 4 threshold, combined with declining well-field production from Cibolo Creek alluvial wells.
SSLGC Stage 4 caps outdoor irrigation at once every 14 days, by address-digit assignment. Allowed hours: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the assigned day. First-offence residential fines are $500; second offence $1,000; third offence $2,000 with possible service shut-off. Commercial first-offence fines start at $1,000 and reach $5,000. The schedule is uniform across both cities — Schertz and Cibolo run the same SSLGC plan because they share the wholesale supply network.
Read the full schedules: Schertz, TX and Cibolo, TX.
Case study: Boerne Stage 4 (Texas Hill Country)
The City of Boerne is at Stage 4 — stricter than SAWS Stage 3 despite being smaller and downstream of the same Edwards Aquifer system. Boerne’s heightened response reflects its disproportionate dependency on Edwards Aquifer well field production: when J-17 falls, Boerne’s direct supply yield drops faster than SAWS’s blended portfolio of Edwards plus Western Canyon and Carrizo Aquifer sources.
Boerne Stage 4 caps lawn irrigation at 1 day per week (rather than once every 14 days), with allowed hours 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. overnight only. The single-day cycle is technically less restrictive than SSLGC’s 14-day cycle but the fine schedule and absolute prohibitions on vehicle washing and pool fills are equivalent. Boerne’s mature live oak and cypress canopy along Cibolo Creek is the highest-value landscape asset in the region; tree watering with a hand-held shut-off-nozzle hose remains permitted in the morning/evening windows.
Read the full schedule on the Boerne, TX water restrictions page.
When Stage 4 lifts
Recovery from Stage 4 requires sustained improvement in supply indicators. The recovery thresholds typically used:
- Edwards Aquifer cities (SSLGC, Boerne, SAWS): J-17 monitoring well above 630 feet for 15 consecutive days de-escalates to Stage 3; above 640 feet for 15 days returns to Stage 2.
- Reservoir-driven cities: storage exceeding the 30 percent of seasonal target threshold for two consecutive monthly assessments lifts Stage 4 to Stage 3; the 50 percent threshold lifts to Stage 2.
- US Drought Monitor downgrade: D4 to D3 for four consecutive weeks typically initiates the de-escalation review, but isn’t automatic.
- Multiple seasons of recovery: realistic Stage 4 recovery typically requires 2 to 3 consecutive seasons of above-normal precipitation. Single rainfall events do not lift the order.
For SSLGC and the Edwards Aquifer cluster, the J-17 well is the governing indicator. As of April 2026, J-17 sat at 625.9 feet — below the 630-foot Stage 4 trigger and well below the 640-foot Stage 3 exit. Multi-season recovery is the realistic outlook.
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) |
Find your city
← See all stages explained · Stage 3 guide · Stage 2 guide · Stage 1 guide