Watering Your Lawn Under Tampa Bay's Water Restrictions

Quick answer

In 2026 the Southwest Florida Water Management District put Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and other counties under an emergency water shortage order that limits lawn watering to one day a week at night, and local news reported it was extended through March 31, 2027. Your exact day and hours come from your utility. Water deeply on your day, keep a working rain sensor, and confirm new sod rules before installing.

Last updated October 22, 2026

If you have a lawn in Tampa Bay, the most important number on your irrigation controller isn't the run time. It's the day. Watering rules here are set at three levels: the regional water management district, an emergency shortage order when supplies run low, and your own city or county utility. In 2026 all three have mattered, and the rules are tighter than many homeowners are used to. This guide explains how the rules fit together, what they mean for lawns and new plantings, and how to keep grass alive within them.

Who sets the rules

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (often called Swiftmud) covers the Tampa Bay counties. Its normal year-round rule limits lawn watering to no more than two days a week, with assigned days and hours, and it allows local governments to set stricter schedules. Some do. The City of Tampa, for example, has used a once-a-week schedule year-round since 1992.

When drought cuts water supplies, the district can declare a water shortage. In February 2026 it declared a Modified Phase II shortage across much of west-central Florida, then moved to a Modified Phase III "Extreme" shortage covering all of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and several other counties. The district extended that order to October 1, 2026, and local news reported in September 2026 that the board extended it again through March 31, 2027. Orders can be changed or lifted early, so treat any date as subject to change and check the district or your utility.

Your utility applies the order at your address and may add stricter rules. That is why neighbors in different cities can have different days.

What the 2026 shortage order requires

Under the Modified Phase III order as published by the district:

Lawn watering is limited to one day a week, assigned by the last digit of the address: 0 or 1 Monday, 2 or 3 Tuesday, 4 or 5 Wednesday, 6 or 7 Thursday, and 8 or 9 (or no address) Friday, unless your local government sets a different schedule.
Watering hours are 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Properties under one acre may use only one of those windows.
Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs, meaning micro-irrigation, soaker hoses or hand watering, is allowed any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
The rules apply to private wells as well as utility water.

How major utilities apply it

City of Tampa

Tampa keeps its once-a-week day by address (the same digit pattern as above) and, since April 3, 2026, bans watering from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. You may water once on your day, between midnight and 4 a.m. or between 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Hand watering of lawns follows the same day and hours, and hoses need an automatic shut-off nozzle. You may test sprinkler zones for leaks for up to 10 minutes per zone once a week. The city issues citations and asks residents to check controller settings after power outages, since a reset controller can run at the wrong time.

St. Petersburg

For city water, private wells and surface water, St. Petersburg assigns Saturday to even-numbered addresses and Sunday to odd-numbered addresses, with watering allowed from 5 to 9 a.m. or 7 to 11 p.m. The city began issuing citations instead of warnings in April 2026. Reclaimed water customers are on a voluntary schedule of no more than three days a week, and the city lowers reclaimed pressure in the middle of the day during dry weather.

Everyone else

Clearwater, Pinellas County Utilities, Hillsborough County (which serves Brandon and Riverview), Pasco County (Wesley Chapel and part of Lutz) and other cities each publish their own schedules. Look up your utility's current page rather than relying on a neighbor or an old controller setting.

New sod and new plants

Establishing new landscape is where the rules bite hardest, because new sod needs frequent water for its first few weeks. Policies differ:

Tampa points customers to a 30-day UF/IFAS establishment schedule for new sod and plantings, but the 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. ban still applies while you establish.
St. Petersburg requires a 30-day variance from its Water Resources Department to water new sod, plants or lawn renovations with city, well or surface water.
Other utilities have their own variance or establishment rules.

Before you buy sod, call your utility, get any variance in writing, and make sure your installer knows the schedule. During a shortage, many homeowners delay lawn replacement until the rainy season or until restrictions ease, or they convert part of the lawn to beds on drip, which has more flexible hours.

Reclaimed water

Reclaimed water is highly treated wastewater delivered through separate purple-marked pipes. It is common in St. Petersburg and available in parts of Tampa, Pinellas and Hillsborough. Tampa says reclaimed water generally isn't subject to its restrictions but must not be wasted, and St. Petersburg asks for voluntary limits. Reclaimed water can carry some nutrients, so ask your lawn company whether your fertilizer program accounts for it.

Rain sensors and smart controllers

Florida law requires automatic irrigation systems to have a working rain-sensing device that shuts the system off after enough rain. Tampa also requires irrigation to be curtailed when sufficient rain has fallen in the past 24 hours, and offers free rain sensors and free irrigation evaluations to its customers. Smart controllers that use weather data or soil moisture, including EPA WaterSense labeled models, go a step further by skipping runs and adjusting through the seasons.

Keeping a lawn alive on one day a week

A lawn can survive once-a-week watering if it is managed for it:

Water deeply on your day. UF/IFAS generally recommends about one-half to three-quarters of an inch per watering. Use a few straight-sided cans on the lawn to measure what each zone actually puts down.
Water when the lawn needs it, not just because it's your day. Folded blades, a bluish-gray color and footprints that don't spring back are signs of stress.
Mow higher. Taller St. Augustine and bahia shade the soil and grow deeper roots.
Go easy on nitrogen. Fast, lush growth needs more water. The summer fertilizer ban in Tampa, Pinellas and unincorporated Hillsborough helps here anyway.
Fix coverage. Dry spots usually mean a broken, tilted or mismatched head, not a need for longer run times.
Watch for chinch bugs. In dry spells, damage in sunny St. Augustine can look just like drought. Have it diagnosed before adding water or pesticide.

Some browning in a dry spring is normal for warm-season grass under restrictions, and lawns usually recover when summer rains return. If parts of the yard never hold turf well, that may be a sign they'd do better as beds or groundcover.

Penalties and enforcement

Utilities enforce the rules with warnings and citations, and fines vary by city and county. Tampa says citations can be issued on first observance. The simplest protection is a controller set to the right day and hours, a working rain sensor, and a quick check after any power outage.

Bottom line

Look up your utility's current rules, set the controller to match, and water deeply but only when needed. If you're planning new sod or a renovation, get the establishment rules in writing first. An irrigation or landscaping company that works locally should know the current schedule and be able to tune your system to it.

Frequently asked questions

Do watering restrictions apply if I have a private well?

Yes. The district's 2026 shortage order applies to residents on private wells, who must follow the same one-day-a-week schedule and hours.

Can I hand water my flower beds on other days?

Under the 2026 shortage order, hand watering and micro-irrigation of non-lawn plants are allowed any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Lawn hand watering is limited to your assigned day and hours. Check your utility for any stricter rule.

How long will the 2026 water restrictions last?

Local news reported in September 2026 that the district extended the Modified Phase III order through March 31, 2027. The district can change or end it earlier depending on rainfall and supplies, so check the district and your utility.

Sources and further reading

Request help now