Raleigh Water Restrictions: Lifted August 3, and What Brings Them Back

Last updated: August 31, 2026

What changed, in order

Date	What happened
April 20, 2026	Stage 1 restrictions began, aiming to hold daily water use near 60 million gallons a day
May	Usage stayed close to the 60 MGD target for most of the month
June	Usage climbed, often above 66 MGD, putting pressure back on Falls Lake
July 7, 2026	Council approved an ordinance letting the City Manager escalate restrictions faster, including moving to Stage 2 and, if use did not fall enough, Stage 3
August 3, 2026	Stage 1 lifted. Falls Lake at 84% full, Lake Benson full, Lake Wheeler nearly full

The thing that did not change when restrictions lifted

This is the part worth knowing before you install anything this autumn, and it is the reason a “restrictions are over” headline is only half the story.

The ordinance Council approved on July 7 is about escalation, not about the current stage. It gives the City Manager the authority to move to Stage 2 more quickly if water use stays too high during drought, and on to Stage 3 if use does not drop enough. The City was explicit at the time that passing it did not activate Stage 2.

Read what Stage 2 carries: disconnecting irrigation-only service. Not restricting it to a day. Disconnecting it. If restrictions return, an irrigation-only meter is the first thing switched off, and the machinery for getting there is now faster than the one that produced the April to August cycle.

The practical consequence for anyone specifying a system in Raleigh right now: a design that depends entirely on an irrigation-only service has a single point of failure that a design sharing the domestic meter does not, and a landscape planted on the assumption of unlimited water is being planted against a supply that spent this spring losing about 2% of the Falls Lake pool every week.

What the usage numbers actually showed

Raleigh published enough figures through this drought to see what conservation did, and it is a more interesting story than the restriction itself.

• About 69 million gallons a day before irrigation restrictions were implemented.
• About 60 million gallons a day during Stage 1, roughly a 13% reduction, which the City described as residents saving millions of gallons a week compared with usual demand.
• Often above 66 MGD in June, when compliance slipped and the weather stayed dry.
• Falls Lake fell from spring at roughly 2% of pool per week since early April, reached 77%, and recovered to 84% by August 3 after two weeks of rain including several heavy periods.

The gap between 69 and 60 is almost entirely outdoor. Landscape irrigation is what moved Raleigh’s whole-city demand by nine million gallons a day, which is why the irrigation schedule is always the first lever the City pulls and why an efficient system is worth more here than a compliant one.

One correction worth making plainly, because it circulated widely: rain in the watershed is not the same as rain in the city. During July the City reported a rainfall event delivering 0.4 to 0.8 inches across the Falls Lake watershed that raised the lake by only a few tenths of an inch and made no meaningful impact on drought conditions. It took two weeks of repeated heavy rain to move the pool from 77% to 84%.

The Stage 1 schedule, for when it comes back

Not in force today. Recorded here because it is what returns, and because a controller programmed for it now is a controller that needs no emergency reprogramming later. These are the rules as we recorded them on 27 July 2026, while Stage 1 was still in force; confirm against the City if a stage is re-declared.

Method	Allowed day	Allowed hours
In-ground sprinklers, odd-numbered address	Tuesday	Midnight to 10 a.m.
In-ground sprinklers, even-numbered address	Wednesday	Midnight to 10 a.m.
Hose-end movable sprinkler	Your assigned day	6 to 10 a.m. or 6 to 10 p.m.
Handheld hose with shut-off nozzle, and drip	Any day	Any time
Private well irrigation	Exempt	Exempt

Two features of that table are worth carrying forward whatever the stage. Drip and handheld hose watering were never tied to a day, which is a standing argument for putting beds, trees and shrubs on drip rather than on the same zones as turf. And private wells were exempt, which is not true in every North Carolina jurisdiction and is worth confirming for your own address rather than assuming.

What to do with the restriction lifted

1. Reprogram deliberately, not by reflex. Going straight back to a pre-drought schedule puts the city back toward 69 MGD, which is the condition that produced restrictions in the first place. Cycle-and-soak on fewer, deeper runs delivers the same rooting depth on less water.
2. Fix what you found. A drought is the only time most people watch their irrigation closely. Whatever overspray, broken head or leaking valve you noticed under Stage 1 is still there now that nobody is looking.
3. Move beds off turf zones. Drip stayed legal every day of Stage 1. A landscape split so that the plants that matter most sit on drip is a landscape that survives the next stage without emergency measures.
4. Plant now, with intent. The window between a lifted restriction and the next one is the time to establish anything that needs establishing, and to reduce the irrigated area that made the last one bite.

Frequently asked questions

Are there water restrictions in Raleigh right now? No. The City of Raleigh lifted Stage 1 water restrictions on Monday, August 3, 2026, after the Falls Lake water supply pool reached 84% full, meeting the requirement to lift restrictions under the City’s Water Supply Plan.

Why were Raleigh’s water restrictions lifted? Rain over the two weeks before August 3, including several periods of heavy rain, raised Falls Lake to 84% full. Secondary sources also improved, with Lake Benson full and Lake Wheeler nearly full.

Is Raleigh still in a drought? Dry conditions continue across the region and Falls Lake is not back to full capacity, so the City asks residents to keep using water wisely even with restrictions lifted.

When did Raleigh’s Stage 1 restrictions start? April 20, 2026, with the aim of holding daily water use near 60 million gallons a day. Usage stayed close to that through most of May, then rose above 66 million gallons a day in June.

How much water did the restrictions actually save in Raleigh? Daily use ran about 69 million gallons a day before irrigation restrictions and about 60 million gallons a day during them, a reduction of roughly 13%, which the City described as residents saving millions of gallons each week compared with usual demand.

Could Raleigh water restrictions come back? Yes. On July 7, 2026 the City Council approved an ordinance allowing the City Manager to escalate restrictions more quickly, moving to Stage 2 if water use remains too high during drought and to Stage 3 if use does not drop enough.

What happens to irrigation-only water service under Raleigh Stage 2? The July 2026 ordinance provides for disconnecting irrigation-only service if Stage 2 is implemented. That is a disconnection rather than a restricted schedule, which is worth weighing when specifying a dedicated irrigation meter.

What were Raleigh’s Stage 1 watering days? As recorded while Stage 1 was in force, in-ground sprinklers ran one assigned day a week from midnight to 10 a.m., odd-numbered addresses on Tuesday and even-numbered on Wednesday. Hose-end movable sprinklers had a 6 to 10 a.m. or 6 to 10 p.m. window on the same day, and handheld hoses with a shut-off nozzle and drip irrigation were allowed any day.

Were private wells restricted in Raleigh? Private well irrigation was exempt from the Stage 1 schedule. Confirm the position for your own address if a stage is re-declared.

Does rain in Raleigh end the drought? Not on its own. The City reported a July rainfall event of 0.4 to 0.8 inches across the Falls Lake watershed that raised the lake by only a few tenths of an inch and made no meaningful impact on drought conditions. It took two weeks of repeated heavy rain to move the pool from 77% to 84%.

Who do I contact about Raleigh water conservation? Questions and possible violations go to Water.Conservation@raleighnc.gov.

Raleigh Watering Rules: Data

Current rules as observed, with every change we have recorded since tracking began. Source of record: City of Raleigh Public Utilities.

Rule	Detail
April 20, 2026	Stage 1 restrictions began, aiming to hold daily water use near 60 million gallons a day
May	Usage stayed close to the 60 MGD target for most of the month
June	Usage climbed, often above 66 MGD , putting pressure back on Falls Lake
July 7, 2026	Council approved an ordinance letting the City Manager escalate restrictions faster , including moving to Stage 2 and, if use did not fall enough, Stage 3
August 3, 2026	Stage 1 lifted. Falls Lake at 84% full, Lake Benson full, Lake Wheeler nearly full
In-ground sprinklers, odd-numbered address	What happened: Tuesday; Midnight to 10 a.m.
In-ground sprinklers, even-numbered address	What happened: Wednesday; Midnight to 10 a.m.
Hose-end movable sprinkler	What happened: Your assigned day; 6 to 10 a.m. or 6 to 10 p.m.
Handheld hose with shut-off nozzle, and drip	What happened: Any day; Any time
Private well irrigation	What happened: Exempt; Exempt

Change log

First observed	Status	Rules recorded
2026-08-31	current	April 20, 2026: Stage 1 restrictions began, aiming to hold daily water use near 60 million gallons a day; May: Usage stayed close to the 60 MGD target for most of the month; June: Usage climbed, often above 66 MGD , putting pressure back on Falls Lake
2026-08-27	superseded 2026-08-31	In-ground sprinklers (odd address): Allowed day: Tuesday; Allowed hours: 12:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.; In-ground sprinklers (even address): Allowed day: Wednesday; Allowed hours: 12:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.; Hose-end (movable) sprinkler: Allowed day: Your assigned day; Allowed hours: 6–10 a.m. or 6–10 p.m.
2026-08-27	superseded 2026-08-27	Summary: Quick answer: As of July 2026, Raleigh, NC is under Stage 1 water restrictions (in effect

Last checked: 2026-08-31. A new row is added only when the observed rules change, so this log records what changed and when we saw it.

Cite this: “Raleigh Watering Rules: Data,” updated 2026-08-31, https://raleighprolandscape.com/raleigh-watering-restrictions/#watering-rules-dataset