What do Mesa's water shortage stages mean for a business? City Code 8-10-8

Subsection (A) says shortages may be declared in four stages depending on the severity of local or regional limits on water supply or system capacity. The City Manager can declare Stage One, a target reduction of up to five percent in demand, with informational and voluntary measures. Stages Two, Three and Four are adopted by resolution of the City Council, or by an emergency declaration by the Mayor, and the restrictions apply to all customers for as long as the shortage remains in effect.

Stage Four also sets water availability by the average of the previous three years of use, enforced through flow restrictors, service shutoff or meter sizing. Under (E), if proportional reductions will not hold the system together, the Department develops procedures to curtail service by customer class, starting with dedicated landscaping.

Notice runs on a timetable. Under (F), the city gives six months of notice before declaring Stage 3 and one year before Stage 4, unless the Mayor declares an emergency, with notice in monthly utility bills and on the city website. Under (G), limited exceptions can be granted after a written application and a hearing by the City Council or a designated committee, on a showing of good cause such as health, safety and welfare or undue hardship.

• KGAL: the code's unit for use per billing cycle. The code does not define it in 8-10-8. Our reading is thousand gallons.
• Dedicated landscape service: the code does not define it in 8-10-8. Our reading is a meter that serves landscaping only. Landscape meters also count under the large-meter permit rules in 8-10-9.
• Cumulative: each higher stage includes the earlier stages' measures.
• Stage name: the city's own page calls them Water Watch, Water Alert, Water Warning and Water Emergency. The code uses numbers.

All customers and persons using city water, wherever located, and the city may give priority to customers inside its boundaries over outside users. Stage One has no mandatory restrictions under the code, because that stage is informational and voluntary. The city's Water Reliability and Preparedness page said on 2026-10-04 that Mesa is currently in Stage One, Water Watch. Stages can change, so check that page before you plan around it.

A restaurant under Stage Three. The server stops pouring water at the table unless the customer asks. Stage Three also bars letting waste of water continue after it should have been discovered and corrected. 8-10-8 does not define waste. Our reading is that a leak the business knows about and leaves running is the plainest case.

A hotel under Stage Four. Linens are washed once per guest stay and towels are replaced on request. A 25% surcharge applies to commercial, industrial and multi-unit use over 65 KGAL in a billing cycle. The code does not say whether it is figured on the whole bill or only the use above 65 KGAL, so ask the Department before budgeting.

The edge case: the city's web page and the code read differently. The city's summary says Stage Two may involve voluntary conservation. The code lists Stage Two requirements that apply once the Council adopts the stage. Treat the code as the rule that governs, and read the resolution when one is adopted.

1. 1Check the city's Water Reliability and Preparedness page for the current stage.
2. 2List your water uses against the table: landscape timers, misters, water features, vehicle washing, construction, kitchens.
3. 3If you have a meter of four inches or larger, start drafting the conservation and compliance plan now, so it is in place when Stage Three is declared.
4. 4Look for slow leaks. A monthly bill that creeps up is a Stage Four cost problem and a Stage Three waste problem.
5. 5Watch for notice in your utility bill and on the city website. The code gives six months before Stage 3 and a year before Stage 4, except in an emergency.
6. 6If a restriction creates a real hardship, apply in writing under (G) for an exception.

• Only the Council can start a shortage. The City Manager can declare Stage One.
• Stage Two is only a request. The code lists mandatory Stage Two requirements once the stage is adopted.
• Surcharges are for homes. Stage Four lists separate surcharges for commercial, industrial and multi-unit use and for dedicated landscape service.
• The restrictions end by themselves. They apply for as long as the shortage remains in effect.

Mesa's own text governs; this page explains it.