Austin Watering Rules, Rebates and Turf Conversion: A Homeowner's Guide

Quick answer

Austin-area utilities set outdoor watering days by address and tighten them in drought. Austin Water has limited automatic sprinklers to one assigned day a week, with hose-end sprinklers and drip allowed two days and hand watering more freely. Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown and Leander set their own schedules. Austin Water has also offered a WaterWise rebate for converting healthy turf to native beds with pre-approval.

Last updated October 22, 2026

Few things shape an Austin yard more than the watering schedule. Lake levels, population growth and drought all push local utilities to limit outdoor watering, and the rules change from year to year and city to city. If you're planning a new lawn, new beds or a new irrigation system, it pays to understand the rules first. This guide explains how they generally work, what they mean for your landscape, and how to plan a lawn-to-native conversion. Rules change often, so always confirm the current details with your own utility.

Who sets your rules

Your watering rules come from whoever supplies your water, not from the city name on your mailing address. In the City of Austin it is Austin Water. Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Pflugerville and other cities run their own utilities, and many neighborhoods outside city limits are served by municipal utility districts, water supply corporations or other providers that follow their own drought plans. Some MUDs follow a nearby city's rules. Check your water bill to see who your provider is.

How Austin Water's schedule works

Austin Water sets restrictions in stages. As of its most recent posting, Austin has been in the Conservation Stage, its baseline level. Under it:

Automatic and manual sprinkler systems get one assigned day a week, by address, during early morning or evening hours.
Hose-end sprinklers and drip irrigation get two days a week in the same hours.
Hand watering with a hose or container, and watering trees with soaker hoses, tree bags or bubblers, is allowed any day and any time.

Austin Water's Find Your Watering Day page lists the current stage, days and hours for each address. Drought stages can reduce watering further, and the utility offers variances in some cases, such as for a newly installed xeriscape. You have to keep following the regular rules until a variance is approved.

How the suburbs compare

Each nearby utility does it a little differently, and stages change with conditions:

Round Rock adopted year-round standards that allow two address-based watering days a week by sprinkler, before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m., with hand watering any time. Watering new landscaping more than twice a week requires a variance.
Cedar Park uses address-based days with no watering on Mondays and has moved between stages tied to lake storage, including one-day-a-week watering in severe drought.
Georgetown has used address-based days, cut to one day a week in its Stage 2, and set rules requiring builders and irrigation installers to tell new homeowners about the schedule and system.
Leander has moved between phases, including once-a-week watering and a temporary outdoor watering ban during pipeline repairs.
Dripping Springs has a landscape ordinance that, among other things, bars sprinklers that spray onto sidewalks and streets.

We don't list specific days here because they change. Your utility's website is the source of truth.

What the rules mean for your yard

Limited watering days change what makes sense to plant:

Lawns on one sprinkler day a week need deep soil and a drought-tolerant grass. Thirsty St. Augustine on shallow soil in full sun will struggle. See our grass guide.
Beds on drip have had more flexibility in Austin than spray zones, which is one more reason to convert bed zones to drip.
Trees can usually be watered more freely with soaker hoses, bags or bubblers, which helps protect shade trees in drought.
New plantings need extra water to establish. Plan installations for spring or fall, ask about variances, and expect to hand water.

Getting the most from your watering day

Water deeply, not often. Deep watering encourages deeper roots that ride out the days between.
Cycle and soak. Split each zone into two or three short runs with a pause between, so water soaks into clay or thin soil instead of running into the gutter.
Fix overspray. Heads spraying pavement waste water and can count as a violation in some cities.
Use a smart controller and rain sensor. EPA's WaterSense program labels controllers that meet its criteria.
Mulch beds a few inches deep to slow evaporation.
Raise the mower. Taller grass shades its own roots.

Licensing matters for irrigation changes

In Texas, anyone who designs, installs, repairs or services an irrigation system for you must be licensed by TCEQ, with limited exemptions. Systems connected to public water need backflow prevention, and Austin Water and other utilities have testing and reporting rules. Converting spray zones to drip or adding a smart controller is a normal service call for a licensed irrigator.

Planning a turf-to-native conversion

Replacing part of a lawn with native or adapted plants is one of the most common Austin landscape projects. Done well, it cuts water use and mowing and gives the yard a Hill Country look. Austin Water's published guidance gives an example of a 500-square-foot conversion saving a large share of the water that turf used.

The rebate

Austin Water has offered a WaterWise Landscape rebate for converting healthy lawn to native or adapted beds. Based on Austin Water's published FAQ, key points include:

Most of the conversion area must be healthy turf when you apply; dead lawns don't qualify.
Work started before Austin Water approves the project doesn't qualify.
Plants from the Grow Green guide qualify, and plants should cover more than half the area at maturity.
Spray irrigation in the area should be converted to drip if kept.
Planting happens in spring or fall, not summer.

Rebate amounts and terms have changed over the years, so read the current application before you sign a contract. If you're served by another utility, ask whether it offers anything similar.

Steps for a conversion

Check rebate rules and HOA rules first. Many HOAs regulate front-yard plantings and require approval of landscape changes, so submit your plan before work and ask how the HOA handles drought-tolerant designs.
Remove turf. Smothering, solarizing or cutting it out, depending on grass type. Bermuda is persistent and may take more than one try.
Prepare soil. Native plants usually need less soil prep than lawns, but on clay, raised beds or berms help.
Lay out paths and edging so the bed looks intentional and is easy to maintain.
Plant in fall or spring, grouped by water need.
Convert irrigation to drip and mulch.
Water through establishment, then taper off.

What drives the cost of a conversion

We don't quote prices, but the main cost drivers are the size of the area, how hard the old turf is to remove, how much soil work is needed, plant sizes (small plants cost less and often establish better), irrigation changes, edging and hardscape such as decomposed granite paths or stone borders, and haul-off. Ask for itemized estimates so you can compare.

Bottom line

Know who supplies your water, look up the current schedule, and design for it. Deep soil and a drought-tolerant grass where you want lawn, drip-irrigated native beds where you don't, and a properly set controller will get most Austin yards through the summer. When you're ready, request a landscaping or irrigation company.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my watering day in Austin?

Use Austin Water's Find Your Watering Day page, which shows the current stage and your address-based day. If another utility supplies your water, check its website instead.

Can I hand water outside my watering day?

Austin Water has allowed hand watering with a hose or container any day and time. Most nearby utilities allow hand watering more freely too, but confirm with yours, especially in severe drought stages.

Can my HOA stop me from replacing my lawn with native plants?

Many HOAs require approval for landscape changes, especially in front yards, and some have specific standards for drought-tolerant designs. Read your deed restrictions and submit your plan to the HOA before you start. Texas law addresses some HOA rules on water-conserving landscaping, so ask your HOA or an attorney if you hit a roadblock.

Sources and further reading

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