Pflugerville Water Restrictions 2026
Travis County · Texas
Published:
Restrictions Active - Stage 3 Emergency – Indoor Use Only (Disaster Declaration)
0
Days/Week
No outdoor irrigation permitted
Allowed Hours
$2,000+ citations
Max Fine
Find Your Watering Day
This city assigns watering days by property location, not by address digit. Find your assigned days in the table below.
Watering schedule by property location
| Property Location | Watering Day |
|---|---|
| All addresses | Outdoor watering prohibited |
Allowed Watering Hours
Stage 3 Emergency prohibits ALL outdoor irrigation across Pflugerville: no lawn watering, no automatic sprinklers, no hose-end sprinklers, no hand watering of turf. Foundation watering and drip irrigation for trees may be permitted only with a written variance from City of Pflugerville Utility Billing. Indoor water use is unrestricted, but residents are asked to reduce indoor consumption as well to support Lake Pflugerville recovery. This is the most severe restriction tier in Pflugerville's drought contingency plan.
Still Allowed
💧 Hand Watering
Not permitted during the current phase.
🌿 Drip Irrigation
Follows the same schedule as sprinkler irrigation.
Fines & Enforcement
$2,000+ citations
City of Pflugerville issues citations of $2,000 or more per offense for Stage 3 Emergency violations. Mayor Doug Weiss signed a disaster declaration on March 4, 2026 enabling state aid and authorising aggressive enforcement. Code Enforcement and Utility Billing staff actively patrol; violations are also reported via the city's online utility portal.
Citations begin March 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
Texas Property Code §202.007 prohibits HOAs from fining homeowners for brown or dormant lawns caused by complying with mandatory water restrictions. Pflugerville HOAs cannot require lawn watering during Stage 3 Emergency, and cannot levy aesthetic fines for compliance with the disaster declaration. Document the city's emergency order if your HOA challenges a brown lawn.
If your homeowners association sends a violation notice for a dormant or brown lawn during the current restriction period, respond in writing citing the applicable law and include a copy of the City of Pflugerville Utility Billing's current restriction order. Most HOAs will rescind the notice once they are made aware of the legal protections in place. If the issue persists, contact your county’s code enforcement division for assistance.
Why These Restrictions Exist
Pflugerville, a fast-growing tech-corridor city of roughly 70,000 northeast of Austin in Travis County, declared a Stage 3 Emergency under its Drought Contingency Plan effective March 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM, the first such declaration in city history. The trigger is the historically low storage at Lake Pflugerville, the city's primary drinking water source, an off-channel reservoir on Wilbarger Creek. Lake Pflugerville is independent of the Highland Lakes (Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan) that supply Austin and parts of the Austin metro through LCRA, so the crisis is local to Pflugerville and its customers. Mayor Doug Weiss signed a disaster declaration alongside the Stage 3 order to enable state aid and emergency procurement. Outdoor irrigation is prohibited; only indoor use and variance-approved foundation/tree watering are permitted. Stage 3 will be lifted only when Lake Pflugerville recovers, there is no fixed end date.
This is the most severe drought response currently active in Texas alongside SAWS Stage 3 in San Antonio. Residents cannot draw water from Austin Water or Round Rock Water; Pflugerville operates its own utility and cannot accept transfers under emergency declaration.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Pflugerville area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are well below seasonal targets, necessitating mandatory conservation measures.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Pflugerville Water Restrictions
10 tips tailored for Pflugerville homeowners during Stage 3 Emergency – Indoor Use Only (Disaster Declaration) restrictions.
Stage 3 Emergency means no outdoor watering of any kind, turn off automatic sprinkler systems entirely until further notice.
St. Augustine and Bermuda lawns will go dormant under Stage 3, accept browning, do not stress-water; the crown survives 6 to 8 weeks of drought when not mowed too short.
If you must water trees or foundation cracks, apply in writing to City of Pflugerville Utility Billing for a variance before doing anything outdoors.
Mow Bermuda at 1.5 to 2 inches and St. Augustine at 3.5 to 4 inches, taller blades shade the soil and slow evaporation.
Apply 50 to 75 mm of mulch around mature trees to retain root-zone moisture; mature tree loss is the most expensive landscape outcome under prolonged Stage 3.
Harvest AC condensate for indoor potted plants, a 3-ton AC produces 5 to 20 gallons per day in Pflugerville summers and is exempt from outdoor restrictions.
Use a rain barrel during any storm, captured rainwater is unrestricted and can be used for variance-approved tree and foundation watering.
Indoor leak repairs become critical under Stage 3, a single leaking toilet wastes 200+ gallons per day and counts against your usage threshold.
Texas Property Code §202.007 protects you from HOA fines during the disaster declaration, keep the order on file.
Monitor pflugervilletx.gov/709/Water-Restrictions for stage updates; Lake Pflugerville level reports are posted weekly.
Pflugerville Water Restriction FAQs
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