Alabama Water Restrictions 2026

Water restrictions across Alabama right now

As of 2026, Alabama is navigating a Drought Watch across its northern tier, with voluntary conservation measures in place in Birmingham, Huntsville, and beyond. The situation is geographically uneven: the Tennessee Valley and central Alabama corridors are carrying the heaviest stress, while Mobile and the Gulf Coast communities are sitting closer to seasonal precipitation norms. No city has yet crossed into mandatory restriction territory, but the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs — known as ADECA — has formally declared drought conditions in multiple regions, prompting utilities and municipalities to call on residents to reduce discretionary water use voluntarily.

Birmingham Water Works, which serves more than 600,000 customers across Jefferson and surrounding counties, issued a voluntary conservation appeal citing reduced inflows into its primary storage systems. Customers have been asked to curtail lawn irrigation, limit car washing to commercial facilities, and delay non-essential water activities during morning and evening peak demand hours. The utility emphasized that its storage reservoirs remain operational but that prolonged dry conditions could shift the status toward more structured restriction stages if rainfall deficits persist into the summer months.

In Huntsville, the Huntsville Utilities water division is pulling from the Tennessee River through a federally managed intake system, and flow levels in early 2026 have tracked below the 30-year average for this time of year. City water officials placed the community under the same voluntary Drought Watch posture, encouraging residents to adopt the utility's Use It Wisely household guidelines. These include turning off irrigation systems during rain events, checking for toilet leaks, and limiting showers to under five minutes.

Mobile and Montgomery, while included in ADECA's formal drought-declared area and placed under voluntary conservation guidance, are experiencing less acute strain. Mobile draws heavily from the Mobile River basin and benefits from Gulf moisture that keeps its precipitation totals more consistent through late spring. Montgomery, served by Montgomery Water Works, draws from the Tallapoosa River system and local reservoirs, and its current storage levels are within acceptable ranges. Nevertheless, both systems have issued written conservation requests to their ratepayer bases in compliance with ADECA guidance.

Across all four cities tracked in this report, the posture remains voluntary with no emergency declarations. However, water managers are watching the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center's seasonal outlooks closely, as an above-normal temperature forecast paired with below-average precipitation probability for the June through August period raises the possibility that Drought Watch conditions in 2026 could escalate to Drought Warning or Drought Emergency for some Alabama communities if summer thunderstorm patterns fail to materialize as expected.

Fines and enforcement in Alabama

Alabama's water restriction enforcement framework is almost entirely municipal and utility-level in design, with no statewide penalty schedule applied uniformly across jurisdictions. During the current voluntary Drought Watch, no fines are being actively assessed in the four tracked cities. However, the penalty structures that would activate under mandatory stages are instructive for residents who want to understand the escalation path.

Birmingham Water Works' drought ordinance, adopted through Jefferson County coordination, establishes a three-strike penalty system for mandatory restriction violations. A first violation results in a written warning mailed to the service address. A second violation within a 90-day period carries a fine of $50 to $100 added directly to the water bill. A third violation within the same period can result in a fine of up to $250 and, in extreme cases, installation of a flow restrictor device that limits service to essential indoor use only. Removal of the restrictor after reinstatement carries an administrative fee.

Huntsville Utilities similarly grades its enforcement by violation frequency and has the technical capacity to identify violation patterns through its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system, which logs near-real-time consumption data. When mandatory irrigation schedules are in force, AMI data can flag addresses showing consumption spikes during prohibited hours, enabling targeted notices without requiring physical inspection by utility personnel. This smart-meter enforcement capacity is one of Huntsville's most sophisticated drought management tools.

In Montgomery, enforcement under mandatory stages relies more on complaint-driven investigation than automated monitoring. Residents can file restriction violation complaints through the Montgomery Water Works customer service line or through the city's 311 service portal. Field investigators respond to complaints, document violations, and issue citations through the municipal court system rather than through the utility billing mechanism. First violations typically result in warning citations with a 24-hour cure period.

Across Alabama, water customers who believe a violation citation was issued in error generally have a 30-day administrative appeal window. Appeals are filed with the utility's customer service department and reviewed by a designated hearing officer. Common successful appeal grounds include demonstrating that irrigation occurred during a permitted time window, showing that consumption spikes were due to a verified pipe leak rather than intentional use, or documenting that the property address was miscategorized under an odd/even schedule. Documented leak repairs submitted within the appeal period frequently result in waived fines.

HOA protections in Alabama

Alabama does not have a broadly worded statute that explicitly preempts HOA landscape requirements during declared drought conditions in the same way some western states have enacted. However, there are relevant legal protections available to Alabama homeowners navigating the tension between HOA landscaping mandates and municipal drought conservation requests.

The primary relevant framework is found in the Alabama Uniform Condominium Act (Code of Alabama § 35-8A-101 et seq.) and, for planned communities, in the general principles governing restrictive covenants under Alabama property law. While neither statute contains an explicit drought preemption clause, Alabama courts have recognized that a restrictive covenant cannot be enforced in a manner that requires a property owner to perform an act that is prohibited by law or governmental order. If a municipality moves from voluntary to mandatory water restrictions, HOA rules requiring lush maintained turf or weekly irrigation could effectively be unenforceable to the extent they conflict with the mandatory conservation order.

Under Code of Alabama § 35-8A-302, condominium associations must act reasonably in enforcing rules against unit owners. This reasonableness standard has been applied in Alabama courts to circumstances where external conditions make compliance with an association rule impractical or impossible without legal violation. Homeowners facing HOA enforcement actions for allowing lawns to brown during a drought watch should document their compliance with any municipal conservation guidance and submit that documentation to the HOA as part of a written variance or hardship request.

For homeowners in communities governed by planned community declarations rather than the condominium act, Alabama courts look to the declaration language itself and general contract principles. An HOA pursuing fines against a homeowner who voluntarily reduced irrigation in compliance with ADECA-guided conservation requests during a Drought Watch faces a difficult argument that enforcement serves a legitimate community interest, particularly if the municipality has made formal conservation requests.

Alabama lawmakers have periodically considered legislation that would mirror Florida's explicit HOA drought-watering protection statute, but as of 2026, no such legislation has been enacted. Homeowners in communities with strict landscaping requirements are encouraged to consult their HOA governing documents, communicate proactively with their board, and document all municipal water conservation communications received during drought periods as evidence of good-faith compliance effort.

Where Alabama gets its water

Alabama is unusual among southeastern states in that it receives water from three major river basins that drain in fundamentally different directions — the Tennessee River watershed in the north flowing toward the Ohio River and the Mississippi, the Mobile River Basin draining the central and southern portions of the state toward the Gulf of Mexico, and the Chattahoochee-Apalachicola system forming the eastern boundary with Georgia and Florida. This geographic diversity gives the state a rich overall water supply but creates pronounced regional variation in drought vulnerability.

The Tennessee River is the dominant water source for northern Alabama communities including Huntsville and Florence. The Tennessee Valley Authority manages a network of dams and reservoirs along this river, including Wheeler Reservoir, Wilson Reservoir, and Guntersville Reservoir. Guntersville Lake, formed by the Guntersville Dam, is a critical drinking water source for portions of DeKalb, Marshall, and Jackson counties. TVA reservoir management decisions directly affect municipal intake availability, making northern Alabama communities unusually dependent on federal reservoir operations in drought conditions.

Central Alabama, including Birmingham and its surrounding metro, relies heavily on the Black Warrior River and the Cahaba River system. Birmingham Water Works draws from the Cahaba River at multiple intake points and maintains storage in Shades Creek Reservoir and the massive Inland Lake system. The Cahaba, notably, is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in North America and is subject to significant environmental flow requirements, which can complicate drawdown during drought periods. The Coosa River, which runs northeast to southwest through Etowah and Talladega counties, feeds Logan Martin Lake, Lay Lake, and Weiss Lake, all of which serve both industrial and municipal water supply functions for communities in the eastern Birmingham metro region.

Montgomery and the central Black Belt region draw from the Tallapoosa River and the Alabama River. Lake Martin, formed by Martin Dam on the Tallapoosa, is one of the state's largest reservoirs and provides water supply capacity for communities throughout Elmore, Coosa, and Tallapoosa counties. The Alabama River below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa serves as a source for downstream utilities in Autauga and Dallas counties.

South Alabama and the Gulf Coast region, including Mobile, are served by the extensive Mobile River Basin, which drains roughly 44,000 square miles across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Surface water from the Mobile, Tombigbee, and Alabama rivers provides abundant supply for coastal communities. In addition, the Gulf Coast Aquifer System — including the Miocene-age sands of the Citronelle Formation — supplies significant groundwater volumes for smaller rural communities in Baldwin, Escambia, and Mobile counties. Because Alabama does not have mountainous terrain or significant winter snowpack, its reservoirs depend entirely on rainfall events and river base flow for replenishment.

How Alabama's drought framework works

Alabama manages drought response through a formalized, multi-agency structure anchored by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), specifically its Water Resources Division. ADECA does not operate as a top-down regulatory body that imposes restrictions directly on individual water systems; instead, it coordinates drought declarations, monitors conditions statewide, and provides guidance that local water utilities and municipalities are expected to follow through their own ordinances and service agreements.

The state framework is built around a four-stage drought ladder: Drought Watch, Drought Warning, Drought Emergency, and a post-event Drought Recovery designation. Each stage is triggered by a combination of hydrological, meteorological, and socioeconomic indicators. ADECA relies on the U.S. Drought Monitor — a joint product of NOAA, the USDA, and the National Drought Mitigation Center — as a primary input, but also incorporates stream gauge readings from USGS monitoring stations along rivers including the Black Warrior, Coosa, Tallapoosa, Cahaba, and Tennessee. Reservoir storage levels at facilities like Logan Martin Lake, Lay Lake, and Weiss Lake inform the hydrological component of the trigger assessment.

At the Drought Watch level, which is the current 2026 status for north and central Alabama, ADECA requests that water systems activate their drought contingency plans and encourage voluntary reductions. There is no mandated per-capita reduction at this stage, but water systems receiving state revolving fund financing are expected to demonstrate active conservation outreach. ADECA's Water Resources Division may issue letters to water boards and municipal utilities formally placing them within the declared area and outlining reporting expectations.

Progression to Drought Warning occurs when stream flows at key gauge stations drop to between 25 and 50 percent of median levels, or when reservoir storage falls below 60 percent of capacity, sustained over a four-to-six-week assessment window. At this level, ADECA may recommend mandatory conservation measures. The Drought Emergency designation is reserved for conditions where stream flows fall below the 10th percentile of historical records or where municipal water supply is at risk of imminent shortage — situations last seen in Alabama during the extended drought of 2007 and 2008.

Local water authorities maintain their own drought management plans as a condition of operating permits overseen by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM). These plans must identify internal trigger thresholds, customer notification protocols, and stage-specific restriction schedules. ADECA's formal framework thus functions as a coordination layer above a decentralized local management system, meaning that two neighboring utilities in the same declared drought area may implement somewhat different restriction schedules depending on their individual plan structures and storage situations.

Conservation programs in Alabama

Alabama has a range of active conservation programs administered through state agencies, regional utilities, and federal partnerships that residents and businesses can access during drought conditions and beyond. These programs address both indoor and outdoor water use through financial incentives, technical assistance, and hardware distribution.

ADECA's Water Resources Division administers the Alabama Water Watch program, a statewide citizen monitoring network that trains volunteers to collect water quality and stream flow data at sites across the state's major river basins. While primarily an environmental monitoring tool rather than a direct conservation incentive, the program supports the data infrastructure that informs ADECA drought declarations and helps communities identify vulnerable water sources before conditions become critical.

Birmingham Water Works offers one of the most structured municipal conservation incentive programs in Alabama. Its Smart Irrigation Rebate Program provides customers with a rebate of up to $75 for the purchase and installation of WaterSense-labeled weather-based irrigation controllers, commonly called smart controllers, that automatically adjust watering schedules based on local weather conditions. The utility also offers a free leak detection kit — including dye tablets, a flow rate calculator card, and installation instructions for toilet flappers — available by mail request or pickup at its customer service center on First Avenue North in Birmingham.

Huntsville Utilities partners with the Tennessee Valley Authority's EnergyRight program, which includes water efficiency components alongside energy efficiency measures. Through this partnership, Huntsville residential customers can schedule a free home water audit in which a trained technician assesses indoor and outdoor water use patterns and identifies high-priority reduction opportunities. Participants who complete the audit and implement at least two recommended measures can receive a $50 bill credit applied to their next quarterly water bill.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System, operating through Auburn University, runs the Lawn and Landscape Water Conservation education program, which provides regional guidance on irrigation scheduling, soil moisture assessment, and drought-tolerant planting tailored specifically to Alabama's climate zones. Extension agents in each county can conduct on-site residential or commercial landscape water assessments at no charge to the property owner.

At the federal level, Alabama utilities are eligible for EPA WaterSense partnership status, and several Alabama water systems have participated in the EPA's Water Loss Control technical assistance program, which helps utilities conduct system-wide audits to identify leakage and reduce non-revenue water losses. Statewide system leakage, estimated by ADEM at between 12 and 18 percent of distributed volume in many small systems, represents one of the largest potential efficiency gains for Alabama's water supply infrastructure.

For commercial and agricultural users, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service offers EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) cost-share payments for irrigation efficiency upgrades, with Alabama allocations typically covering 50 to 75 percent of approved practice costs for qualifying producers in drought-affected counties.

Lawn care in Alabama's climate

Alabama sits almost entirely within the humid subtropical climate zone, with a narrow transition zone along the northernmost counties near the Tennessee state line. This climate — characterized by long, hot summers, mild winters, and relatively high annual rainfall — supports warm-season turfgrasses almost exclusively in residential and commercial landscape applications. Understanding which grasses are most appropriate for Alabama conditions is especially important during drought periods when water conservation is prioritized.

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is the most widely planted warm-season turfgrass in Alabama and arguably the most drought-tolerant option available to homeowners. Established Bermuda can enter dormancy during extended dry periods, turning brown but remaining viable, and will recover quickly once moisture returns. During Drought Watch conditions, homeowners with Bermudagrass lawns are encouraged to allow natural dormancy rather than irrigating aggressively to maintain green color. For irrigated Bermuda, the recommended application depth is approximately three-quarters of an inch per irrigation event, applied no more than twice weekly.

Zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica and related species) has become increasingly popular in Alabama over the past decade, particularly in the Birmingham and Huntsville markets. Zoysia requires somewhat more water than Bermuda to maintain active growth but offers superior shade tolerance and a finer texture that many homeowners prefer. During drought conditions, established Zoysia can be managed on a 10-to-14-day deep irrigation cycle, which encourages deep root development and reduces overall water demand compared to frequent shallow watering.

Centipedegrass is extremely common in south Alabama and coastal counties where its low fertility and moderate water requirements suit the region's sandy soils. Centipede has moderate drought tolerance but is susceptible to iron chlorosis if soils dry excessively, making it important for homeowners to maintain at least minimal moisture at the root zone during extended dry periods. The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service recommends applying no more than one inch of water per week to centipede turf during active drought conditions.

St. Augustinegrass dominates the Gulf Coast zone from Mobile through Baldwin County and is widely used in south Alabama landscapes due to its excellent heat tolerance and salt spray tolerance. However, St. Augustine has the highest water demand of the common Alabama warm-season grasses and is least suited to irrigation restrictions during drought. Homeowners with St. Augustine are generally advised to prioritize root zone survival over aesthetic greenness during Drought Watch periods, allowing partial dormancy rather than over-irrigating.

Cool-season grasses such as tall fescue are used in limited applications in north Alabama, particularly in shaded areas around Huntsville and Birmingham, but are generally not recommended for full lawn use anywhere in the state due to heat stress vulnerability during Alabama summers.

Drought history and 2026 outlook in Alabama

Alabama's drought history is more pronounced than many residents assume, given the state's reputation for annual rainfall that averages 56 inches or more in many regions. The state's humid subtropical climate delivers moisture inconsistently, and extended periods between significant rainfall events — particularly in summer and early fall — have repeatedly stressed water supplies across the state's diverse river basins.

The 1986 drought is among the earliest well-documented episodes in modern Alabama water management history, affecting the Black Warrior River basin and forcing Birmingham-area utilities to implement their first structured conservation protocols. Stream flows at the Holt Lock and Dam gauge on the Black Warrior dropped to levels that had not been recorded in decades.

The 2000 drought brought severe conditions to north Alabama, with Guntersville Reservoir dropping to near record-low pool elevations in late summer and early autumn. TVA issued water-use advisories and temporarily curtailed hydroelectric generation at several facilities to preserve water supply storage. Agricultural losses in the Tennessee Valley were substantial.

The 2007–2008 drought stands as the most severe in Alabama's recent water management history. The state's ADECA drought declaration reached Emergency level for multiple regions during this event. Lay Lake and Logan Martin Lake, both on the Coosa River, fell to historic lows during the autumn of 2007 — a situation worsened by the simultaneous Georgia drought crisis that strained the Chattahoochee River system and triggered interstate water litigation. The Cahaba River fell to flows in some reaches below the 5th percentile of historical records, threatening both municipal intakes and the river's federally protected fish species.

The 2012 drought, driven by a warm, dry winter and an extremely hot summer, affected central and south Alabama more than the north. Montgomery area reservoirs saw reduced inflows from the Tallapoosa River, and several smaller municipal water systems in the Black Belt region issued mandatory restrictions for the first time in their operational histories.

The 2016 drought affected north and central Alabama from late summer into October, briefly triggering ADECA Drought Warning declarations in multiple counties. Lake Weiss, which serves Rome, Georgia water intakes as well as northeast Alabama communities, dropped to the lowest levels recorded since 2008.

Each of these events shaped the drought contingency planning now embedded in Alabama utility management frameworks, contributing to the tiered ADECA response structure in place today.

The 2026 water supply outlook for Alabama is cautiously uncertain, with several converging indicators suggesting that the current Drought Watch conditions in the northern part of the state could either stabilize or intensify depending on seasonal precipitation delivery through the critical June through September period.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center seasonal outlook released in spring 2026 places much of Alabama in an area of equal chances to below-normal precipitation probability through the summer months, which is a meaningful concern given that Alabama's reservoirs typically depend on late spring rainfall to top off storage before peak summer demand. The Coosa River basin, which feeds Logan Martin and Lay lakes, ended the spring recharge season below the five-year average for pool levels.

Temperature forecasts are similarly concerning. The outlook projects a high probability of above-normal temperatures for Alabama through August 2026, which will increase evapotranspiration rates and elevate municipal water demand, particularly for residential irrigation in the Birmingham metro and Huntsville corridors. Higher temperatures also accelerate reservoir evaporation, meaning that storage drawdowns during summer demand peaks will be faster than historical averages would suggest.

Water managers at ADECA and at major utilities are watching several specific indicators in real time: stream flow percentile rankings at USGS gauges on the Cahaba River near Centreville, the Coosa River near Wetumpka, and the Tennessee River at Decatur; weekly U.S. Drought Monitor status updates for counties in ADECA's declared drought zone; and 30-day precipitation deficits tracked against historical normals for the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport weather station.

If late summer tropical activity delivers significant rainfall to the Tennessee Valley or central Alabama — as occasionally occurs when Gulf storm systems track inland — conditions could improve substantially before the autumn assessment window. If the tropical season underperforms and summer rainfall remains below average, Alabama water managers may be issuing Drought Warning declarations before the end of 2026.

Frequently asked questions about Alabama water restrictions

What does a Drought Watch mean for Alabama residents right now?

A Drought Watch is the first formal level in Alabama's ADECA drought response framework. It signals that hydrological and meteorological indicators are trending toward drought conditions in the affected region, but that water supplies remain adequate for normal use at current demand levels. For residents in Birmingham, Huntsville, and other Drought Watch areas in 2026, the Watch means that voluntary conservation is being formally requested — not that you are prohibited from watering your lawn or washing your car. The goal at this stage is to slow the drawdown of reservoir storage and stream flows before conditions require mandatory action. Utilities may escalate to Drought Warning if rainfall deficits persist, so early voluntary reductions help create buffer time.

Which Alabama agency is responsible for declaring droughts?

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, better known as ADECA, coordinates the state's formal drought response through its Water Resources Division. ADECA does not regulate water utilities directly — that function falls to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) — but ADECA issues the official drought declarations that define geographic areas and response stages, coordinates between local utilities, state agencies, and federal partners including NOAA and the USDA, and provides the technical guidance framework that local water systems use to activate their own drought contingency plans.

Is it legal for my HOA to fine me for a brown lawn during a drought in Alabama?

This is a nuanced question under current Alabama law. Unlike some western states, Alabama does not have a statute that explicitly prohibits HOA enforcement of landscape standards during drought declarations. However, Alabama courts recognize the general legal principle that restrictive covenants cannot require actions that violate government orders or mandates. During the current voluntary Drought Watch, conservation requests are advisory rather than binding orders, so HOA enforcement authority is harder to challenge. If conditions escalate to a mandatory restriction stage with enforceable ordinances, homeowners would have a much stronger legal basis to resist HOA fines for non-irrigated lawn appearance. In the meantime, residents should document all municipal conservation communications and request a formal written variance from their HOA board.

Does Birmingham Water Works have a budget billing program that adjusts for drought?

Birmingham Water Works offers an average payment plan option that smooths seasonal billing fluctuations, but it does not have a specific drought-adjusted billing mechanism. During declared drought conditions, customers whose bills spike due to verified leak repairs may apply for a one-time adjustment through the utility's billing dispute process. Customers should submit documentation of the leak repair, including a plumber's invoice or dated receipt for parts used, and request a consumption adjustment review. Birmingham Water Works has historically granted retroactive adjustments for verified leaks in cases where the repair is completed within 30 days of the billing period in question.

Can I fill my swimming pool during Alabama's current Drought Watch?

Under the current voluntary Drought Watch conditions in 2026, there is no formal prohibition on pool filling in any of Alabama's four tracked cities. However, voluntary conservation guidance from utilities including Birmingham Water Works and Huntsville Utilities specifically asks customers to defer large-volume non-essential fills during the Drought Watch period. If you need to fill a new pool or significantly top off an existing one, utilities suggest doing so during off-peak demand hours — typically late evening or early morning — and using a pool cover to reduce evaporative losses once the pool is full. If drought conditions escalate to a Warning or Emergency stage, pool filling restrictions are typically among the first mandatory measures implemented.

How does the Tennessee Valley Authority's reservoir management affect Huntsville's water supply during drought?

TVA manages a system of 49 dams across the Tennessee River watershed, and its operational decisions directly affect water availability at Huntsville's municipal intake points. During drought conditions, TVA must balance competing demands including hydroelectric power generation, navigation, recreation, downstream water quality, and municipal water supply. Historically, TVA has prioritized minimum flows for municipal intakes during declared drought emergencies, but the agency's reservoir management decisions during moderate drought conditions can reduce pool levels at Guntersville Reservoir and Wheeler Reservoir in ways that affect intake pump efficiency and water treatment plant operations. Huntsville Utilities maintains ongoing coordination with TVA through a formal water supply partnership agreement that establishes minimum operational thresholds applicable during drought periods.

What is the Cahaba River's role in Birmingham's water supply and why does it matter during drought?

The Cahaba River is one of Birmingham Water Works' primary raw water sources, with intake structures drawing from the river at multiple points in Shelby and Jefferson counties. During drought periods, the Cahaba poses a unique management challenge because it is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the continental United States, hosting dozens of federally protected fish and mussel species whose survival depends on minimum instream flow levels. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintain environmental flow requirements on the Cahaba that limit the extent to which Birmingham Water Works can draw down the river during low-flow periods. During the 2007–2008 drought, the Cahaba fell to flows that threatened both municipal intake operations and protected species habitat simultaneously, forcing the utility to accelerate a shift toward increased storage reliance and reduce direct river withdrawals. This history is one reason Birmingham Water Works invested significantly in expanding its Shades Creek Reservoir storage capacity in the years following that event.

Where can I report a water restriction violation in Alabama?

During voluntary Drought Watch conditions, there is no formal enforcement mechanism for reporting violations, since conservation is advisory rather than required. However, if your municipality or utility activates mandatory restrictions, reporting pathways vary by city. Birmingham residents can contact Birmingham Water Works directly at its customer service line or through the utility's website. Huntsville residents can report through Huntsville Utilities' customer service portal. Montgomery violations can be reported through the 311 city services line. In all cases, reporting should include the property address, the date and time of the observed violation, and a description of the specific activity that appeared to violate the applicable restriction schedule. False or malicious reports are subject to the same administrative review process as legitimate complaints, and utilities investigate before issuing citations.