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Outdoor Water Use Restrictions In Hillsborough County

Residents who pay their water bills to Hillsborough County Water Resource Services.
Residents of unincorporated Hillsborough County who pay their water bills to the City of Tampa
Residents of unincorporated Hillsborough County who irrigate with a private well or alternate water source such as a pond, lake or other utility.

Note: The use of reclaimed wastewater is not restricted; however its use must not be wasteful and unnecessary.

Lawn Watering Schedule

Watering of established lawns is allowed two days per week. Follow the chart below.

All irrigation must be accomplished before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Any one zone of a property may only be watered once during the allowed day, not both in the morning and again in the evening.

Addresses ending in 0, 1, 2 or 3	Monday and Thursday
Addresses ending in 4, 5 or 6	Tuesday and Friday
Addresses ending in 7, 8 or 9, locations with no address (common areas, entry areas), and locations with mixed addresses (office complexes, shopping centers)	Wednesday and Saturday

Landscape (non-lawn) Watering Schedule

Hand watering and microirrigation of plants (other than lawns) can be done on any day, at any time.

Establishment Irrigation for New or Replacement Lawns and Landscaping

New Turfgrass, Plants and Landscaping

A 60-day establishment period is allowed for new and replacement turf (sod, plugs, seed, etc.), plants and landscaping.

On days 1–30, the new lawn and landscaping may be watered any day of the week, before 8 a.m., or after 6 p.m.
On days 31–60, the new lawn and landscaping may be watered on this schedule: Even-numbered addresses may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Odd-numbered addresses may water on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Locations with no address (common areas, entry areas), and locations with mixed addresses (office complexes, shopping centers) may water on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. All watering must be accomplished before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

Sprinkler System Or Hand Water?:

New plant material must cover at least 50% of an irrigation zone in order to water with an in-ground sprinkler system during the initial establishment period. If not, the new plant material must be hand watered.
Only those zones containing 50% new plant material may be watered, not the entire yard.

Fountains

There are no restrictions on fountains.

Car Washing

There are no restrictions on vehicle washing. Hoses should be fitted with an automatic shut-off nozzle.

Pressure Washing

There are no restrictions on pressure washing.

Chemical Treatments

If chemicals such as pesticide, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are applied to your lawn or landscape plants by a hired professional, they can be watered in according to manufacturer's instructions within 24 hours following application.

All watering must take place before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
A dated chemical advisory marker must be placed in the yard in a visible location.
Homeowners who apply the chemicals themselves, rather than using a professional company, can water these in only on their designated day.

Additional Information

Cleaning and Maintaining Irrigation Systems

Irrigation systems may be operated during restricted days and/or times for cleaning and maintenance. Irrigation systems may be operated for such purposes no more than once per week, and testing the system cannot exceed a total of 10 minutes for the entire system. An attendant must be on site and visible throughout the entire cleaning and maintenance operation.

Automatic Rain Sensing Shut-off Device

All landscape irrigation systems must be equipped with a rain sensor device or switch that will override the irrigation cycle of the sprinkler system when adequate rainfall has occurred. This requirement applies to both new and older irrigation systems.

More Questions?

Still aren't sure when you can water, or have a situation that isn't mentioned on this page? Call the Water Conservation Team at 272-5977, ext. 43991, during regular business hours.

Hillsborough County is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer