Year-round Landscape Water Restrictions are in effect for the entire South Florida Water Management District.

The South Florida Water Management District’s year-round landscape watering restrictions (Chapter 40E-24, Florida Administrative Code) are designed to ensure the efficient use of water landscape (includes lawns) irrigation.

The restrictions allow enough water to maintain healthy landscapes year-round. These mandatory restrictions specify the time and the days of the week when watering is permitted for residential and nonresidential locations.

These days depend on whether the address ends in an odd or even number. A healthy landscape only needs 1-inch to 1.5 inches of water per week during summer growing season and only as needed to supplement rainfall. During the winter season, when a lawn goes dormant, it requires even less. Click HERE to see recommended zone run times (minutes) to set on your timer. 

The YRR applies to all landscape irrigation from all water sources, including public or privately-owned water utility systems, private wells or private connections to surface water bodies (ponds, lakes, canals, etc.), with the following exceptions:

• Use of reclaimed water
• Athletic play areas (including golf courses, football, baseball, soccer, polo, tennis, and lawn bowling fields, and rodeo, equestrian, and livestock arenas)
• Agricultural operations (including nurseries) with District issued consumptive use permits
• Hand watering is allowed at any time provided the hose has a self-cancelling nozzle.

In short, the YRR prohibits landscape irrigation between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and limits watering to two or three days per week depending on the area. The District has complied this a list of local restrictions (see the drop-down menu below) with the best available information, based on local ordinances, and the District’s authority. Property owners should refer to their local or county ordinance. However, many local governments are in the process of updating their local ordinances to be consistent with the District’s YRR. If your local government’s ordinance allows irrigation more than three days per week, it likely has not completed its local adoption process. In such cases, property owners should refer to the District’s YRR and continue to check with their local government for updates.

 Head over to the South Florida Water Management website to find the days and times when you can water in your area.

How Artificial Grass Can Help:

If you’ve been considering an artificial grass lawn, now might be the time. Artificial grass can cut your water usage by up to 70 percent! That’s you cutting way back on your water use and your water bill. Let me break that down just a bit. If your monthly water bill is $100, installing artificial grass can cut it to $30 – that’s $70 saved.

Synthetic turf needs no water and is ideal for areas in which drought conditions can be severe. The lack of rain and other forms of precipitation can lead to water restrictions and strict penalties for homeowners who violate them.

Droughts, water bans, water rate increases, wasted water fines, lawn maintenance – if you’ve got a natural grass lawn, these are issues that never go away. But if you’ve got an artificial lawn, these are things you never worry about.