District Water Restrictions

District Phase 1 Water Shortage Restrictions

Always refer to your city or county regulations first.

Effective Date and Areas

• The District’s Phase I water shortage restrictions are in effect Dec. 1, 2025, through July 1, 2026.
• The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County.
• The Phase I Water Shortage Order does not change allowable watering schedules, however it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use, such as allowing water to flow from an unattended hose.
• Twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments. Some local governments such as unincorporated Hillsborough County and the cities of Clearwater and St. Petersburg have local ordinances with special twice-per-week schedules.
• Some local governments such as unincorporated Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and Sarasota counties, and the cities of Dunedin, Tampa and Venice, have local ordinances that remain on one-day-per-week schedules.

Lawn Watering Days and Times

• Residents should know and follow their local watering restrictions.
• Lawn watering is limited to no more than twice per week except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments.
• Lawn watering days and times are as follows unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect:
  • Even addresses may water on Thursday and/or Sunday before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
  • Odd addresses may water on Wednesday and/or Saturday before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
  • Locations without a discernable address, such as rights-of-way and common areas inside a subdivision, may water on Tuesday and/or Friday before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• Hand watering and micro-irrigation of plants (other than lawns) can be done on any day and any time.
• Residents are asked to check their irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly. This means testing and repairing broken pipes and leaks and fixing damaged or tilted sprinkler heads.
• Residents should also check their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct and the rain sensor is working properly.

New Lawns and Plants

• New lawns and plants have a "30-30" establishment period.
• On the day of installation, watering is allowed on any day at any time.
• Only one irrigation event per day per zone is allowed.
• During the first 30 days, watering is allowed on any day during the allowable hours.
• During the second 30 days, watering is allowed three days per week: even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; odd-numbered addresses may water Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; and locations without a discernable address may water on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Reclaimed Water

• Reclaimed water is only subject to voluntary watering hours, unless restricted by the local government or utility. 
   

Fountains, Car Washing and Pressure Washing

• There are no specific restrictions on fountains, car washing and pressure washing.
• These and other water uses should be conducted as efficiently as possible, such as using a shutoff nozzle on each hose to adhere to the general restriction prohibiting wasteful water use.