Last updated:
Last verified: October 6, 2026, against City of Raleigh.
By the Raleigh Pro Landscape Team
The City of Raleigh lifted Stage 1 water restrictions beginning Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, after rainfall brought the Falls Lake water supply pool to 84% full. Stage 1 had applied since April, during drought in the watersheds that feed Falls Lake and Swift Creek, and it gave sprinklers an assigned day and assigned hours. The City still encourages residents to use water wisely, so the Stage 1 schedule below is kept as a record and as a sensible habit. Whether the yard is in Five Points, North Hills, Brier Creek, or out toward Wakefield, here is what Stage 1 allowed and a month-by-month plan for a Triangle fescue lawn.
During Stage 1, the day was assigned by street address:
- Odd-numbered addresses: Tuesdays
- Even-numbered addresses: Wednesdays
The hours depended on the equipment:
- In-ground, automatic sprinkler systems: midnight to 10 a.m. on the assigned day.
- Hose-end, movable sprinklers: 6 to 10 a.m. or 6 to 10 p.m. on the assigned day.
- Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, and hand watering with a spray nozzle: any time, any day.
Properties irrigating from a private well were outside these rules, and reclaimed sources had their own treatment. With Stage 1 lifted, the assigned-day schedule no longer applies to anyone on city water.
Enforcement and what it costs
During Stage 1, enforcement started with education, moved to a written warning, and then issued civil penalties for repeat violations. With the restrictions lifted, there is no assigned day to enforce, and a rain sensor that actually works is still the easy insurance for efficient watering.
New landscaping after the lift
During Stage 1, Raleigh did not grant watering exemptions for landscaping installed after April 20, 2026, and earlier plantings could apply for a 10-day establishment variance with proof of installation. With Stage 1 lifted beginning Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, new installs are no longer held to that rule. Fall is still the best time for big installs, since cooler weather does the establishment work, and the City still asks residents to use water wisely.
Triangle lawns are tall fescue country, a cool-season grass, so the calendar runs opposite to the warm-season South.
- Spring (Mar to May): fescue grows fast and looks its best. Mow at 3 to 3.5 inches, never scalp, and apply pre-emergent for crabgrass early. Skip heavy spring nitrogen; it trades summer roots for spring color.
- Summer (Jun to Aug): survival mode. Fescue naturally slows and browns in heat. Water deep and infrequently, mow high at 3.5 to 4 inches, and accept some dormancy; a browned fescue lawn with living crowns comes back in September.
- Fall (Sep to Nov): the whole season for fescue. Core-aerate, overseed, and fertilize in September, and keep new seed moist, where drip lines and hand watering earn their keep. A fall renovation sets up the entire next year.
- Winter (Dec to Feb): little to no irrigation needed. Clean up leaves so they do not smother turf, and use the quiet months for design, drainage, and hardscape projects.
A yard built for efficient watering
Stage 1’s one-day schedule rewarded efficiency, and the habits still pay. Cycle-and-soak on our clay soils prevents runoff: split each zone into two shorter runs so water absorbs instead of sheeting onto the sidewalk, which is both wasteful and conspicuous. Beds on drip use less water than spray. And where fescue chronically fails in hot, dry corners, a conversion to adapted planting removes the struggle instead of re-fighting it every August.
Stage 1 was lifted beginning Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The City asks residents to keep using water wisely: limit unnecessary outdoor water use, water deep rather than often, and plan the big work for fall.
If help setting a controller, adding drip to beds, or planning a fall renovation would be useful, the Raleigh Pro Landscape Team works with these rules every day. For controller settings and what an irrigation quote should include, see our Raleigh irrigation planning page.
Source: City of Raleigh alert, Water Restrictions Lifted as of August 3.
Raleigh’s conservation stage can change with reservoir and drought conditions. Confirm the active stage with the City of Raleigh before relying on the Stage 1 schedule above.