San Antonio Watering Restrictions: SAWS Stage 2 Days, Hours and Charges

Last updated: August 31, 2026

How close is San Antonio to Stage 3?

4.4 feet. Stage 3 begins when the 10-day rolling average of the Edwards Aquifer level reaches 640 feet mean sea level at the monitored well — the Bexar index well, which SAWS labels J-17. SAWS published 644.4 feet on 31 August 2026. That is the number worth watching, and it is the one most pages leave out.

It has been moving the wrong way. The level SAWS published for July 2026 was 650.1 feet. A month later it is 644.4, a drop of 5.7 feet. The year’s low was 624.7 and the year’s high was 652.1, so the aquifer has spent 2026 inside an eight-foot band that straddles the Stage 2 trigger.

Here is the part that surprises people. 2026 has been a wet year in San Antonio. SAWS puts rainfall to date at 26.46 inches against a normal of 21.44, a departure of +5.02 inches. Rain above normal and the aquifer still fell through the Stage 2 trigger. Rainfall alone does not lift this aquifer out of restriction, which is why planning a landscape around “it will rain and the rules will lift” is planning around the wrong variable.

Getting out is also slower than getting in. Coming out of a drought stage can only be considered 15 days after the aquifer is above the trigger. Stage 2 began at 650 feet, so the level has to climb 5.6 feet and then hold above it for a fortnight before the once-a-week rule can be reconsidered.

What breaking the rules costs, in dollars

This is the section most San Antonio watering pages get wrong, because the enforcement changed. SAWS no longer issues municipal court citations. A water waste non-compliance charge appears on the bill instead, which means the rules now reach every SAWS customer rather than only those inside the city limits.

Charge	Amount	Detail
First non-compliance charge, single family or small commercial	$137	Waivable by completing a one-hour online course
Subsequent charges	Higher	Escalate to discourage repeat violations; higher again for high-use commercial irrigation accounts
Stage 3 drought surcharge, single family	$10.37 per 1,000 gallons	Applies to use above 20,000 gallons a month, aimed at the top 5% of users
Stage 4 drought surcharge threshold	Drops to 12,000 gallons	Twice-a-month watering may still be initiated in Stage 4

A violation still has to be witnessed and documented in person by SAWS-trained staff. On request you can review the evidence and appeal the decision to a Board-appointed committee of people who do not work for SAWS.

Now put the surcharge next to a real number. SAWS states that the average irrigation system uses 2,000 gallons every time it runs. Four runs a month is 8,000 gallons of irrigation on top of household use, which is how a household reaches the 20,000-gallon Stage 3 surcharge threshold without doing anything unusual. In Stage 4 that threshold is 12,000.

Twelve SAWS rules in force under Stage 2

1. Sprinklers, irrigation systems and soaker hoses: once a week, on your assigned day, 5–10 a.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight. Soaker hoses count as irrigation, not as hand watering.
2. Drip irrigation and tree bubbler zones run Monday and Friday only, and only inside those same two windows. Stage 1 allows three days; Stage 2 cuts it to two.
3. A hand-held hose is allowed any time on any day. That is the legal way to keep new plantings alive between assigned days.
4. No watering on weekends for irrigation systems, whatever your address digit.
5. Residential car washing is allowed once a week, on Saturday or Sunday, provided there is no water waste. SAWS-certified commercial car wash facilities may be used any day, and charity car washes are allowed only at commercial facilities.
6. Washing impervious cover is prohibited — parking lots, driveways, streets, sidewalks. Health and safety exceptions have to be requested from SAWS.
7. Residential fountains and indoor commercial fountains may run at any drought stage. Outdoor commercial fountains need a SAWS variance to operate in Stages 1 through 4.
8. Golf courses, athletic fields and parks may not irrigate between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., and their operators must file a conservation plan with SAWS on 210-704-SAVE.
9. Recycled or treated wastewater may be used any day during the restricted hours, without waste, if the customer has posted SAWS-approved signage.
10. Hotels and motels must offer, and clearly notify guests of, a linen and towel change on request only.
11. Water waste is prohibited at all times, in every stage. That explicitly includes overspray and runoff from lawn watering, which is the most common way a compliant schedule still earns a charge.
12. Restaurants may serve water only on request. This is a year-round rule, not a Stage 2 rule.
13. Failing to repair a controllable leak is water waste in its own right, alongside letting water run off into a gutter, ditch or drain. That obligation sits in the year-round rules and does not lift when a drought stage does.

One detail worth carrying: under the year-round rules that apply when no stage is declared, drip irrigation is confined to the same midnight to 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight windows as sprinklers. Drip only becomes a genuinely wider allowance in Stage 1, at three days a week, before narrowing to Monday and Friday in Stage 2. And the use of treated wastewater or recycled water is a defense to prosecution under the year-round rules.

The stage itself is declared by the City Manager in consultation with SAWS, once the rolling 10-day average drops to the trigger. It is a city decision informed by the utility, not an automatic switch, which is why the aquifer can sit near a trigger for a period without the stage changing.

The four stages and what triggers each

Stage	Trigger, 10-day rolling average	Irrigation frequency	Hours	Drip
Year-round	Above 660 ft	Any day	Midnight–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight	Any day
Stage 1	660 ft	Once a week	Midnight–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight	Mon, Wed, Fri
Stage 2 (in force)	650 ft	Once a week	5–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight	Mon, Fri
Stage 3	640 ft	Once a week	5–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight	Mon, Fri
Stage 4	City Manager’s discretion	Once every other week	5–10 a.m. or 9 p.m.–midnight	Friday only

Notice what the table shows and a stage number does not. Stage 2 and Stage 3 carry the identical watering schedule — same once-a-week frequency, same hours, same Monday and Friday drip. What actually changes at Stage 3 is the money: the $10.37 per thousand gallons surcharge above 20,000 gallons a month. A controller programmed correctly for Stage 2 does not need reprogramming if Stage 3 is declared. The bill does.

Frequently asked questions

What stage is San Antonio in right now? Stage 2. SAWS published an Edwards Aquifer level of 644.4 feet mean sea level on 31 August 2026, below the 650-foot Stage 2 trigger and 4.4 feet above the 640-foot Stage 3 trigger.

What day can I water my lawn in San Antonio? The last digit of your street address sets it: 0 or 1 Monday, 2 or 3 Tuesday, 4 or 5 Wednesday, 6 or 7 Thursday, 8 or 9 Friday. Locations without a street address, such as medians and neighbourhood entryways, water on Wednesday. There is no weekend irrigation.

What are the SAWS Stage 2 watering hours? 5 to 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. to midnight, on your one assigned day, for sprinklers, irrigation systems and soaker hoses. Drip and tree bubbler zones use the same hours but are limited to Monday and Friday.

Can I hand water on a day that is not my watering day? Yes. Under Stage 2 watering with a hand-held hose is allowed any time on any day. A soaker hose does not count as hand watering and stays on the once-a-week schedule.

What is the fine for breaking San Antonio watering rules? SAWS no longer issues municipal court citations. A water waste non-compliance charge appears on the bill instead, starting at $137 for a single family or small commercial site, and that first charge can be waived by completing a one-hour online course. Subsequent charges are higher.

Is there a drought surcharge on San Antonio water bills? Not in Stage 2. In Stage 3 a surcharge of $10.37 per thousand gallons applies to single family use above 20,000 gallons a month. In Stage 4 that threshold drops to 12,000 gallons. Commercial irrigation surcharge rates vary by use and meter size.

When will San Antonio come out of Stage 2? Coming out of a drought stage can be considered 15 days after the aquifer is above the trigger. Stage 2 began at 650 feet, so from 644.4 feet the level has to rise 5.6 feet and then hold above it for a fortnight.

Can I wash my car at home during San Antonio drought restrictions? Once a week, on Saturday or Sunday, as long as there is no water waste. SAWS-certified commercial car wash facilities may be used any day, and charity car washes are allowed only at commercial facilities.

Do the SAWS rules apply outside San Antonio city limits? Yes. Because enforcement moved from municipal court citations to a non-compliance charge on the bill, the rules apply to all SAWS customers, not only those inside the city limits.

How much water does one irrigation run use? SAWS puts the average irrigation system at 2,000 gallons each time it runs. That is the figure to multiply when working out whether a household will cross the 20,000-gallon Stage 3 surcharge threshold.

San Antonio Watering Rules: Data

Current rules as observed, with every change we have recorded since tracking began. Source of record: San Antonio Water System (SAWS).

Rule	Detail
0 or 1	Monday
2 or 3	Tuesday
4 or 5	Wednesday
6 or 7	Thursday
8 or 9	Friday
No street address (medians, entryways)	Wednesday
Any address	No watering on weekends
First non-compliance charge, single family or small commercial	Your watering day: $137; Waivable by completing a one-hour online course
Subsequent charges	Your watering day: Higher; Escalate to discourage repeat violations; higher again for high-use commercial irrigation accounts
Stage 3 drought surcharge, single family	Your watering day: $10.37 per 1,000 gallons; Applies to use above 20,000 gallons a month, aimed at the top 5% of users
Stage 4 drought surcharge threshold	Your watering day: Drops to 12,000 gallons; Twice-a-month watering may still be initiated in Stage 4
Year-round	Your watering day: Above 660 ft; Any day; Midnight–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight; Any day
Stage 1	Your watering day: 660 ft; Once a week; Midnight–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight; Mon, Wed, Fri
Stage 2 (in force)	Your watering day: 650 ft; Once a week; 5–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight; Mon, Fri
Stage 3	Your watering day: 640 ft; Once a week; 5–10 a.m., 9 p.m.–midnight; Mon, Fri
Stage 4	Your watering day: City Manager's discretion; Once every other week; 5–10 a.m. or 9 p.m.–midnight; Friday only

Change log

First observed	Status	Rules recorded
2026-08-31	current	0 or 1: Monday; 2 or 3: Tuesday; 4 or 5: Wednesday
2026-08-27	superseded 2026-08-31	Current stage: Stage 2 (Edwards Aquifer index well 648.4 ft on 6 August 2026, above the 640-ft Stage 3 tr; Irrigation frequency: Once per week, on your designated day; Designated day: Assigned by the last digit of your street address (look up at saws.org)

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: “San Antonio Watering Rules: Data,” updated 2026-08-31, https://sanantonioprolandscape.com/san-antonio-watering-restrictions/#watering-rules-dataset