As of April 2026, Raleigh Water has activated Stage 1 water-use restrictions due to severe drought conditions affecting Falls Lake and the surrounding watersheds. If you are a Raleigh Water customer — whether you live in Raleigh, Garner, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell, or Zebulon — these restrictions apply to you.
This guide explains exactly what the restrictions mean for your lawn and landscape, how to stay compliant without destroying your yard, and what steps you can take now to reduce your water usage while keeping your property looking its best.
What Are the Current Raleigh Water Restrictions
Raleigh Water uses a Water Shortage Response Plan with multiple conservation stages based on Falls Lake reservoir levels. Permanent Conservation Measures are always in effect, but when drought conditions trigger additional stages, the rules tighten.
Stage 1 restrictions, now active as of April 20, 2026, include the following rules for residential irrigation. Automatic and manual sprinkler irrigation is allowed between midnight and 10 AM only. Homes with odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays. Homes with even-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays. Irrigation of landscapes is recommended at a maximum of one-half inch per week. Handheld hose watering and drip irrigation are allowed at any time without day restrictions.
Restaurants may serve tap water only upon request. Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts must ask guests staying more than one night to reuse towels and bedsheets.
First-time violators receive a warning. A second violation carries a $100 fine. A third violation is $500.
Why Are Restrictions in Effect Now
Central North Carolina is experiencing a severe drought that has persisted through early 2026. Falls Lake — Raleigh’s primary water source — is currently at approximately 84 percent of its water supply pool capacity. While that number sounds healthy, it is unusually low for April, a period when the reservoir is normally full. Raleigh Water’s Assistant Director has noted that Falls Lake has historically always been full by April 1, making current conditions highly unusual from an environmental perspective.
The drought has been compounded by record-high April temperatures in the lower 90s and virtually no measurable rainfall for nearly a month. Raleigh’s secondary water sources — Lake Wheeler and Lake Benson — are still near full capacity, providing a buffer, but the primary supply at Falls Lake is what triggers the restriction stages.
The last time Raleigh implemented mandatory water restrictions was during the severe drought of 2007 and 2008 — a period that fundamentally changed how Triangle communities manage water resources.
How to Keep Your Lawn Healthy Under Stage 1 Restrictions
One watering day per week is enough to keep an established lawn alive in Raleigh — if you water correctly. The key is depth, not frequency.
Water deeply on your designated day. Apply one-half to three-quarters of an inch of water in a single session. This drives moisture down into the root zone where it does the most good. Shallow watering — a few minutes per zone — wets only the surface and encourages shallow root growth that makes your lawn more vulnerable to drought stress between watering days.
Water in the early morning. The restriction window is midnight to 10 AM. Watering between 4 AM and 8 AM is ideal — temperatures are cool, wind is low, and evaporation is minimal. Avoid watering in the heat of the day or in the evening, which promotes fungal disease.
Raise your mowing height. Taller grass shades the soil, reduces evaporation, and develops deeper roots. Raise fescue to 4 inches. Raise Bermuda to the top of its range at 2 inches. Raise Zoysia to 2.5 inches. This single adjustment can reduce your lawn’s water needs by 20 to 30 percent.
Do not fertilize during drought. Fertilizer stimulates growth, and growth requires water you do not have. Wait until restrictions are lifted or until fall when cooler temperatures and rainfall return.
Smart Controllers and Drip Irrigation — Your Compliance Tools
Smart irrigation controllers are the single best investment for staying compliant with Raleigh Water restrictions while keeping your landscape healthy. These controllers connect to local weather data and automatically adjust watering schedules based on temperature, rainfall, humidity, and soil moisture. When restrictions change stages, you update the controller once and it manages compliance automatically.
Drip irrigation is exempt from the day-of-week restrictions under the current rules — handheld hose watering and drip irrigation are allowed at any time. If your landscape beds are still on spray heads, converting to drip irrigation gives you the flexibility to water plantings whenever they need it without violating sprinkler restrictions. Drip also reduces water consumption in beds by 40 to 60 percent compared to overhead spray.
What Happens if Restrictions Escalate
If Falls Lake levels continue to drop, Raleigh Water can escalate to Stage 2 or Stage 3 restrictions. Stage 2 further limits irrigation hours and reduces the number of watering days. Stage 3 is the most restrictive stage, potentially limiting sprinkler use to once every two weeks.
The best time to prepare for tighter restrictions is now — while Stage 1 is still in effect. Upgrade to a smart controller. Convert beds to drip irrigation. Raise your mowing height. Consider replacing high-water-demand turf areas with native plantings or mulched beds that require minimal supplemental irrigation. These steps reduce your water consumption, keep your landscape healthier during drought, and position you to weather tighter restrictions without losing your yard.
How Raleigh Pro Landscape Can Help
We program every irrigation system we manage for current Raleigh Water restrictions and proactively update programming when stages change. We install smart controllers, convert spray zones to drip irrigation, and design water-wise landscapes that look great under any restriction stage.
Contact Raleigh Pro Landscape at (919) 555-0100 or fill out our form for a free irrigation assessment. We will evaluate your current system, identify opportunities to reduce water waste, and help you stay compliant while keeping your landscape healthy.
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