Greensboro is under Stage 2 mandatory water restrictions: sprinklers one day a week, on your trash day, for at least 30 days. Hand-watering is still allowed.
Greensboro water customers may now run sprinklers only one day a week. The city moved to Stage 2 mandatory irrigation restrictions on Tuesday, and they will stay in place for at least 30 days.
The city’s Water Status Update page said the step was taken “due to the ongoing lack of regular rainfall and other drought conditions.” Stage 1, a voluntary request to cut back, had been in effect since Oct. 14. Unlike Stage 1, the new rules can be enforced with fines.
The rules for homes
- Sprinklers, manual or automatic: one day a week, on your city garbage collection day.
- No city garbage pickup, or more than one pickup day? Your sprinkler day is Wednesday.
- Hand-watering with a hose or a watering can is allowed at any time.
- Drip irrigation is allowed at any time, but only for plants that are not turf or grass. The city defines drip systems as ones that do not spray into the air.
Your garbage day is on our trash and recycling page.
Customers who water from a private well or another non-city source are exempt. If the property also has city water, it must display a city-issued exemption sign. The signs are free through the city’s Stage II restriction request form, choosing “Well Irrigation Signage.” Showing a sign without a qualifying well is itself a violation, the city said.
Businesses, apartments and golf courses
Businesses and apartment communities follow the same sprinkler rules as homes. Golf courses and institutional playing fields have stricter terms:
- water only between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., by any method
- cut use by 40% compared with the same billing period last year, or face excess-use fees
Plant nurseries and garden retailers are exempt and may water their stock at any time.
Fines
“Civil penalties begin in Stage II for violations,” the city said. The full schedule is in its Water Shortage Response Plan. The version of the plan we read when Stage 1 began set a warning for a first residential violation, then $100, then $200.
How low the lakes are
Greensboro draws its water from Lake Townsend, Lake Brandt and Lake Higgins in northern Guilford County. Full, they hold about 8 billion gallons.
The city now posts a daily storage figure. On Nov. 6, total accessible storage was 56.7%. That is below the 57.8% level that sets Stage 2. Stage 3 would come at 51.3%, according to the same page.
The city said current lake levels are similar to those in the statewide drought of 2007 and 2008. Guilford County and much of North Carolina are in severe to extreme drought, it said.
The city is also buying water. On Nov. 5 it bought:
- 9.25 million gallons a day from the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority
- 2 million gallons a day from Burlington
- 1 million gallons a day from Reidsville
That is 12.25 million gallons a day in all. The city’s two treatment plants deliver an average of about 35.9 million gallons a day to nearly 320,000 customers.
Based on past droughts, the city expects Stage 2 to cut water use by about 10%.
What it means for you
- Check your sprinkler day. It is your garbage pickup day, or Wednesday if you have none. Reset any automatic timer.
- Hand-watering is fine. Water early in the morning to cut evaporation, the city said, and use mulch.
- Your tap water is safe. The restrictions are about supply, not quality, the city said. Greensboro “still has sufficient water to meet needs.”
- Track your use in GSO WaterWise, the city’s customer portal, which also sends leak alerts.
- Questions or a hardship request: the city’s contact center is 336-373-2489.
There is no set end date. “Each stage lasts at least 30 days,” the city said, and a stricter stage could come sooner if conditions warrant. The earliest Stage 2 can end is Thursday, Dec. 3.
Our October story on Stage 1 water conservation has the household tips the city is still asking everyone to follow.
Frequently asked questions
What are Greensboro’s Stage 2 water restrictions?
Sprinklers, manual or automatic, may run only one day a week, on your city garbage collection day. Customers without city garbage pickup or with more than one pickup day use Wednesday. Hand-watering with a hose or can, and drip irrigation for plants other than grass, are allowed any time.
When did Stage 2 start and how long will it last?
Stage 2 began Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Each stage lasts at least 30 days and has no automatic end date, the city said.
Is Greensboro’s tap water safe to drink?
Yes. The city said the restrictions are about supply and do not affect how drinking water is treated or its safety.
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