Schertz TX Water Restrictions 2026

Current water restrictions in Schertz, Texas

As of mid-July 2026, Schertz has no declared drought stage. The City of Schertz's water conservation page states plainly that the Carrizo Aquifer supply serving the city is not under Stage 1, 2, 3, or 4 restrictions — a status that puts Schertz in rare company along the I-35 corridor northeast of San Antonio, where most neighbors have spent the past two summers under enforced watering schedules. What Schertz does enforce, every day of the year, is a standing conservation rule: outdoor sprinkler watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., no exceptions for season or weather.

The contrast with the region is stark. Ten minutes down the highway, San Antonio Water System customers have been under Stage 3 once-a-week watering since June 2024. The Edwards Aquifer Authority has been running critical-period pumping cuts across the San Antonio pool for years, and the J-17 index well — the benchmark gauge for the region's drought — sat near 626 feet this spring, territory not seen since 1990. Schertz sat out all of it, because roughly two decades ago the city stopped betting its future on the Edwards Aquifer.

Then mid-July 2026 delivered the kind of whiplash Central Texas specializes in. Storms on July 15 and 16 flooded low-lying areas across the region — the city ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Pecan Grove RV Park on the evening of July 15 as Cibolo Creek rose — and the J-17 well jumped to a daily reading of 644.3 feet on July 15, lifting its 10-day average past the 640-foot mark. The Edwards Aquifer Authority's critical-period status for the San Antonio pool stood at Stage 2 (a 30 percent pumping reduction) that week. None of that changes Schertz's rules, which were already the loosest in the area, but it explains why the city's warning — that residents should be prepared for restrictions if dry conditions return — has not yet turned into a stage declaration.

One caution for readers comparing notes across the metro: some third-party lawn and watering sites have circulated claims this year that Schertz is under a "Stage 4" schedule allowing watering only once every 14 days. That does not match anything published by the City of Schertz, the Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation, or the TCEQ's list of Texas water systems with active use limits, all of which show no declared stage for Schertz as of mid-July 2026. If you see a 14-day claim, check it against schertz.com before you change your controller.

Your assigned watering schedule

Because no drought stage is in effect, Schertz residents may run sprinklers and irrigation systems on any day of the week. The rules that do apply, year-round:

• Sprinkler hours: Outdoor sprinkler and irrigation-system watering is prohibited from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Run your system before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
• Hand watering and drip: A hand-held hose with a shutoff nozzle, a bucket, or a properly installed drip irrigation system may be used at any time, any day.
• No waste: Letting water run off into a ditch or street, or failing to repair a controllable leak, is a violation regardless of the hour.
• Reuse water: Reclaimed or reuse water is exempt from the plan.
• Private wells: Customers irrigating from private wells are expected to follow the same rules.

It is worth knowing what the ladder looks like if the city ever climbs it, because Schertz's drought contingency plan is unusually specific. Under Stage 1, watering would shift to one assigned weekday based on the last digit of your address — 0 and 1 on Monday, 2 and 3 on Tuesday, 4 and 5 on Wednesday, 6 and 7 on Thursday, 8 and 9 on Friday — with hours limited to midnight to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight, and commercial properties watering only on Wednesdays. Stage 2 keeps the address-digit days but squeezes hours to 3–8 a.m. and 8–10 p.m., restricts pool filling, and bans washing down driveways and sidewalks. Stage 3 prohibits sprinkler irrigation entirely, leaving only hand-held and drip watering on your designated day. Stage 4 — the emergency tier, targeting a 40 percent demand cut — prohibits landscape irrigation absolutely, along with vehicle washing. New landscapes can get a three-week establishment variance in the early stages, with city approval required.

The triggers are tied to the Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation and the Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District rather than the Edwards Aquifer: stage declarations follow notification from SSLGC's general manager or drawdown thresholds in the Gonzales County well field. The plan carries one blunt failsafe — if SSLGC cannot deliver water at all, Schertz goes straight to Stage 4.

Fines and penalties

Schertz's enforcement authority comes from its Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan, adopted by ordinance and enforceable in municipal court. Violating the plan — including the year-round 10 a.m.–8 p.m. sprinkler prohibition and the runoff and leak-repair rules — is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. There is no published warning-then-escalating-dollar ladder like some Texas cities use; the citation route runs straight through court.

A few mechanics worth knowing. Any police officer, code enforcement officer, or designated city employee can issue a citation, which directs the recipient to appear in municipal court within 14 days. The person in apparent control of the property where a violation occurs is presumed responsible — a rebuttable presumption, but the burden shifts to the property holder. Parents are presumed responsible for violations by their minor children. After three or more convictions, the Public Works director can disconnect water service to the property, and restoration requires a $150 reconnection charge plus the city's costs. The city can also pursue injunctive relief in district court for ongoing violations.

In practice, enforcement in a no-stage period centers on waste: a broken head sheeting water into the gutter at noon is the classic citation. To report a violation or a suspected leak, contact Schertz Public Works at 210-619-1800 (after-hours emergencies: 210-619-1200) or email pwsupervisors@schertz.com.

Schertz's water supply and source

Schertz's water story is a 1998 decision that looks better every drought. Back then the city ran on a couple of Edwards Aquifer wells — the same rain-sensitive karst limestone that forces San Antonio into pumping cuts whenever the J-17 gauge drops. Seeing growth coming and Edwards permits tightening, Schertz partnered with Seguin to form the Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation, a wholesale water utility owned fifty-fifty by the two cities. SSLGC began production in September 2002, and today it is Schertz's primary supply.

The system is a long-haul groundwater operation. SSLGC owns and operates twelve supply wells in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in northwest Gonzales County, feeding a 35-million-gallon-per-day treatment facility. From there, more than 40 miles of transmission line carry treated water west to Schertz and Seguin, backed by 15.1 million gallons of storage and fifteen high-service pumps. Beyond its two owner cities, SSLGC sells water under contract to Selma, Universal City, the Springs Hill Special Utility District — and, notably, to the San Antonio Water System itself.

The Carrizo is a different animal from the Edwards. It is a deep sand aquifer that recharges slowly and does not swing with every wet or dry season, which is precisely why Schertz has stayed off the drought ladder while Edwards-dependent utilities cycle through stages. The trade-off is that the Carrizo is a managed, permitted resource: SSLGC pumps under the rules of the Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District, and Schertz's own drought triggers are written against those permit limits rather than an aquifer gauge. Sustained overdraft or district curtailment — not a dry spring — is what would push Schertz into Stage 1. With the city's population at 43,918 by the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate and still climbing, demand growth is the pressure that matters most over the next decade, which is why SSLGC and its member cities have continued expanding well-field capacity in Gonzales and Guadalupe counties.

Headquarters town: what SSLGC means for Schertz specifically

Schertz is not just a customer of its water supplier — it is half-owner of the company, and the arrangement shapes how drought policy works here. Where most Texas suburbs inherit whatever stage their wholesale provider declares, Schertz sits on both sides of the table: the city co-governs SSLGC with Seguin, and its drought contingency plan keys stage declarations to notifications from SSLGC's general manager. When you ask why Schertz has no watering schedule while Cibolo — directly across FM 78 — runs its own separate system through the Canyon Regional Water Authority, the answer is that these three neighboring cities made three different infrastructure bets decades ago, and they are living with three different results.

The ownership stake also means Schertz ratepayers helped finance the pipeline that now supplies parts of the San Antonio region. SSLGC's contract sales to SAWS, Selma, Universal City, and Springs Hill SUD spread the system's fixed costs and quietly made Schertz a regional water player — a city of 44,000 that co-owns a 35 MGD utility. The flip side is concentration risk: nearly everything comes down one 40-mile transmission corridor from Gonzales County, which is why the city's plan jumps straight to Stage 4 if SSLGC deliveries fail. Drought is not the only scenario the plan guards against; a pipeline break is the nightmare case.

HOA rules during water restrictions

Texas has one of the country's clearer statutes on this: Property Code Section 202.007 bars homeowners associations from enforcing covenants that prevent residents from conserving water. An HOA in Schertz cannot prohibit drought-resistant landscaping or water-conserving turf, cannot ban rain barrels or rainwater harvesting systems, and cannot require you to violate city watering rules to keep your grass green. If the city ever declares a stage, an HOA demanding lush St. Augustine on a hand-watering-only schedule would be on the wrong side of state law.

The protections have real edges, though. Section 202.007 lets associations require advance approval of xeriscape and landscaping plans, so you generally cannot rip out turf and rock the yard without going through the architectural committee — the HOA just cannot unreasonably deny a compliant drought-resistant design. And because Schertz currently has no drought stage, a Schertz HOA can still enforce ordinary lawn-maintenance covenants; "the city says I can only water before 10 a.m." is not a defense for a dead lawn when watering is allowed every day. Keep records if you are conserving deliberately: photos, watering logs, and a copy of the city's rules go a long way in a covenant dispute.

Lawn survival guide for Schertz

Schertz sits on the seam between Blackland Prairie clay and thinner limestone soils, and summer here will test any turf. With watering legal every day outside the 10 a.m.–8 p.m. window, the temptation is to water lightly and often — which is exactly backward. Deep, infrequent irrigation (about an inch per week, applied in one or two early-morning sessions) pushes roots down and builds the drought tolerance you will want if the city ever declares Stage 1 and you drop to one day a week overnight.

Practical moves for this climate: mow high (3 inches or more for St. Augustine, 2 to 3 for Bermuda) so the canopy shades the soil; leave clippings to return moisture and nitrogen; and use cycle-and-soak on clay — two or three short runs per zone with soak time between, so water penetrates instead of sheeting into the street, which is a citable violation here even without a drought stage. Let warm-season grasses go summer-dormant if you would rather not irrigate; a brown Bermuda lawn is resting, not dead, and a deep monthly soak keeps the crowns alive. Audit your sprinkler system in July: one stuck rotor wastes more water in a week than hand-watering your beds uses in a month. Statewide context and other cities' schedules are on our Texas water restrictions page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Schertz under water restrictions right now?

No drought stage is in effect as of mid-July 2026. The only enforced rule is year-round: no sprinkler or irrigation-system watering between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., plus prohibitions on runoff and unrepaired leaks. Hand-held hoses and drip irrigation are allowed anytime.

Can I water any day of the week in Schertz?

Yes. With no stage declared, there are no assigned watering days. Address-based day assignments (last digit of your street address) only kick in if the city declares Stage 1 or higher.

Why is San Antonio in Stage 3 while Schertz has no restrictions?

Different water sources. SAWS depends heavily on the Edwards Aquifer, whose J-17 index well drives mandatory pumping cuts during drought. Schertz draws Carrizo Aquifer groundwater through the SSLGC pipeline from Gonzales County — a slow-recharging sand aquifer that does not swing with short-term drought, so Schertz's triggers are tied to pumping permits and system capacity instead of an aquifer gauge.

Is it true Schertz residents can only water once every 14 days?

No. That claim has circulated on some third-party watering websites in 2026, but it does not appear in anything published by the City of Schertz, SSLGC, or the TCEQ's restriction list. As of mid-July 2026 Schertz has no declared drought stage at all.

What would trigger restrictions in Schertz?

Notification from SSLGC's general manager of drought conditions, demand approaching the Gonzales County district's permitted pumping limits, or a system malfunction. If SSLGC ever became unable to deliver water, the city's plan skips straight to Stage 4, which bans landscape irrigation entirely.

What is the fine for violating watering rules?

Violations are misdemeanors carrying fines of up to $2,000, with each day counted as a separate offense. Three or more convictions can lead to water service disconnection, with a $150 reconnection charge. Report violations to Public Works at 210-619-1800.

Can my HOA fine me for a brown lawn during restrictions?

Texas Property Code Section 202.007 prohibits HOAs from forcing you to violate water restrictions or from banning drought-resistant landscaping and rain barrels. But because Schertz has no active stage, ordinary lawn-maintenance covenants still apply — the statute protects conservation compliance, not neglect.

What days can I water my lawn in Schertz?

Any day — sprinkler irrigation prohibited 10 a.m.–8 p.m. year-round Hand watering with a shut-off nozzle is typically allowed any day during permitted hours.

What time can I water in Schertz?

Watering is allowed Before 10:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. daily. Watering outside these hours is a violation even on your assigned day.

When will water restrictions end in Schertz?

Current No Declared Drought Stage — Year-Round Conservation Rules restrictions are in effect through until conditions improve. Monitor https://schertz.com/2051/Water-Conservation for the latest status.

Can I hand water during Schertz water restrictions?

Yes. Hand watering with a hose fitted with a shut-off nozzle is generally allowed on any day during permitted hours. Drip irrigation and soaker hoses are also typically exempt from the day-of-week schedule. Confirm specifics with City of Schertz Public Works Department.