Celina has cited 31 residents and issued more than 5,000 warnings for violating Stage 2 water restrictions that took effect July 2.

The enforcement numbers come from a Sept. 8 Celina City Council presentation by Assistant City Manager Kim Brawner, as reported by Community Impact. City officials hope to lift the restrictions in late September or early October, when plants go dormant and daily water demand drops.

As of Sept. 8, staff had logged 998 repeat violators who continued breaking the rules after a two-week grace period. By Sept. 15, 31 of those cases had escalated to citations from the Celina Police Department.

The enforcement process gives residents three warnings from the Public Works Department before police issue a citation. A citation triggers an automatic irrigation meter shutoff, and residents must pay a reconnection fee to restore service. Fines of $500 to $2,000 may also apply.

"Our goal with conservation is to conserve, not restrict," Brawner told the council Sept. 8. She said the vast majority of violations are resolved through voluntary compliance.

Under Stage 2, residents may water lawns only once per week, on a day assigned by the last digit of their address. Sprinkler use is banned between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Hand-held hoses and drip irrigation are allowed up to two hours daily.

Car washing and decorative fountains are prohibited. Pool filling requires prior approval from the Public Works Department through the city's My Government Online portal.

The restrictions stem from an unusually dry summer. The Dallas-Fort Worth area went 62 days without measurable rain as of Sept. 15, making it "one of the hottest and driest ever," according to the National Weather Service.

Celina's fast growth compounds the problem. As of Sept. 8, the city had exceeded its water subscription from the Upper Trinity Regional Water District on 20 days in 2026, Brawner told the council. Even after Celina raised its daily subscription from 10.5 million to 11 million gallons in August, usage still topped the limit on some days.

Mayor Ryan Tubbs called finding additional water sources beyond Lake Ralph Hall the City Council's top strategic priority, according to a social media post cited by Community Impact.

Lake Ralph Hall, a reservoir project in Fannin County built by the Upper Trinity Regional Water District, finished major construction in July and began filling with water. The pump station and pipeline connecting the lake to the district's existing system are complete, according to a Sept. 17 district media release reported by North Texas e-News. Limited water delivery is expected by the end of 2026.

Once Stage 2 is lifted, Celina will revert to Stage 1 conservation measures, which encourage residents to voluntarily limit lawn watering to twice per week. Residents can check their assigned watering day and report violations at celina-tx.gov.