What day can you water your lawn in Florida? Drought orders changed the answer

The short version

• There is no one statewide watering day. State law gives five water management districts the power to declare a shortage and limit water use.
• Three districts have mandatory drought limits in place on the pages we checked: Southwest Florida, St. Johns River, and Suwannee River.
• Most of those limits mean one day a week. They also apply to private wells in the areas we checked.
• South Florida's normal rule is two or three days a week, depending on local rules, with no watering from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. One order still applies to some Cape Coral private wells.
• Northwest Florida's warning is voluntary. Local utilities can still have mandatory rules.
• Check your city first. Some cities, like Clearwater and St. Petersburg, use different days than their district.

Search your city or county

This is what each official page showed for this time of year. It is a sample, not every place in Florida. A blank cell means we did not see that on the page we opened.

Most "days" and "hours" come straight from the pages linked in each row. Where a county page lacked a schedule, we used the district page that names it. Your HOA can have rules of its own, too.

If your place is not in the table

• Broward County, including Pembroke Pines. The county page says South Florida's year-round rules cover all Broward cities, and in general there is no watering on Monday, Tuesday, or Friday. Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Coral Springs are in the table.
• Lee County. The county page has the unincorporated schedule. It prints a one-day rule from February through May.
• Collier County. Even addresses: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Odd addresses: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. No watering from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and none on Friday.
• Naples. Odd addresses: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Even addresses: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. All irrigation from 12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m. Low-volume hand watering from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sarasota County. The county page has the one-day address schedule under the Southwest Florida order.
• St. Lucie County. Unincorporated areas: odd addresses on Wednesday and Saturday, even addresses on Thursday and Sunday, only before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.
• Brevard County reclaimed water. That page is the reclaimed schedule. In daylight time: odd Wednesday and Saturday, even Thursday and Sunday, commercial Tuesday and Friday. In standard time: one of those days. Not from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Osceola County, Toho Water Authority. Toho prints one schedule for 18-digit accounts and a different one for 8-digit accounts. On the 18-digit schedule, do not water from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Fort Myers. Even addresses, and places with no address: Thursday and/or Sunday. Odd addresses: Wednesday and/or Saturday. No irrigation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city page was last updated March 28, 2025.
• West Palm Beach. The city's April 1, 2026 notice says three days a week, from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. Even addresses: Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Odd addresses: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
• Boca Raton. The city page says watering from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. is limited to three days a week, based on an odd or even address.
• Tallahassee, Okaloosa County, and Bay County. We did not find a city or county watering-day page. Northwest Florida's warning is voluntary and sets no district schedule. Local utilities can still have their own rules.
• Partial information only: Miami Beach prints alternate even and odd days and no irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Orlando's utility, OUC, prints twice a week in daylight time and once a week in standard time. Pensacola's utility, ECUA, recommends 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
• Next step: find your district below, then call your water utility or check your water bill.

Drought orders by water district

St. Johns River's text lists Bradford under Phase III, but its map shows Bradford under Suwannee River rules. Both schedules use the same days for that season. Check with your utility.

Questions about your district's order?

• Southwest Florida: 1-800-836-0797
• St. Johns River irrigation hotline: 386-329-4545
• Suwannee River: 386-362-1001

Common exceptions

These vary by district and order, so read your own schedule. These are examples.

Suwannee River's order puts no restriction on microsprays, drip, hand watering, or reclaimed water. New lawns there may water two days a week.

The Southwest Florida order also limits car washing at home to your lawn day with a shut-off nozzle. It bans yearly aesthetic pressure washing and limits decorative fountains to four hours a day.

What state law says

• Districts can declare a shortage. Under section 373.246, a district board may declare a water shortage and restrict classes of water use. Section 373.175 covers declarations and emergency orders.
• Local officers help enforce. Section 373.609 tells city and county officials to assist when asked.
• Automatic sprinklers need a shutoff. Under section 373.62, a person who buys and installs an automatic system must install, maintain, and operate technology that stops it when there is enough moisture. That usually means a rain sensor.

Fines are set locally. The ones we found are in the table.

Questions people ask

Is there a statewide watering day in Florida?

No. Water management districts, counties, and cities set the rules, and the days vary by place.

Do these limits apply if I have a well?

In the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River rules we read, yes. Some Cape Coral rules apply only to certain private wells. Reclaimed water often has separate rules.

Does rain change my day?

The St. Johns River district says to water only when needed, and state law requires automatic systems to have technology that stops them when there is enough moisture. Rain did not end the orders on the pages we read.

When does daylight saving change my schedule?

Under normal rules, many places go from two days a week to one day when clocks fall back in November, and back to two in March. During the drought orders, the one-day limit can stay in place.

Can I get a ticket?

Yes, in many places. Some pages say citations can come without a warning. Others start with one.

Sources

Local sources are linked in each row of the table. District and state sources are below.

• Southwest Florida Water Management District, restrictions
• Southwest Florida, September 22, 2026 extension
• St. Johns River Water Management District, watering restrictions
• St. Johns River, September 21, 2026 update
• Suwannee River Water Management District, irrigation measures
• Suwannee River, Modified Phase II announcement
• Suwannee River, October 14, 2026 report
• South Florida Water Management District, landscape watering
• South Florida, water shortage
• South Florida, Order 2026-047, Cape Coral
• Northwest Florida Water Management District, warning order
• Florida Statutes, section 373.246
• Florida Statutes, section 373.175
• Florida Statutes, section 373.609
• Florida Statutes, section 373.62

Check your local utility before you set your timer. This Is Florida does not set watering days.