My Allowed Watering Days and Hours

What is My Watering Schedule?

The following schedule applies to properties inside Tampa city limits whose lawns and landscapes are watered with either city water or well water. 

Additional Water Use Restrictions

• Watering is not permitted between 8am and 6pm on any day. Watering is permitted between midnight and 8am OR between 6pm and midnight, only once on your designated day.
• All wasteful water use, such as hosing down driveways or impervious surfaces, is prohibited.

Maintenance

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.

You are allowed to run your sprinkler system to check for leaks no more than 10 minutes per zone, once a week. However, you must be visible from the street while you are running the system to avoid a citation.

Hand watering 

• Hand watering and micro-irrigation of landscapes, such as flowering plants, vines, shrubs, palms, trees, ornamental grasses and groundcover (other than lawn/turfgrass) is allowed any day and any time.
• Hand watering of lawns is restricted to the designated day and time.
• All hoses must be fitted with an automatic shut-off garden hose nozzle. Tampa Water Department customers can request a free outdoor water conservation kit which includes this nozzle.

Watering a new lawn? 

Follow this easy, research-based 30-day establishment schedule recommended by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). 

• The prohibited hours of 8am - 6pm remain in place even when watering-in new sod.

Chemical treatments

Irrigation for the purpose of watering-in of fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, must also comply:

• If applied by a licensed professional, you may follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Note: If you received a citation and you believe you met this exemption, please provide receipts of application along with your citation ID number to WaterPatrol@TechstaffTB.com.
• If applied by someone other than a licensed professional, then watering-in of chemical treatments shall be restricted to the allowed days and hours.
• The prohibited hours of 8am - 6pm remain in place even when watering-in chemical treatments.
• The City of Tampa Fertilizer Ordinance establishes a restricted period from June 1 - September 30, when the application of lawn and landscape fertilizer containing nitrogen and/or phosphorus is not allowed.

Car washing

• Car washing is currently allowed; however, it is recommended this be done above a lawn if possible so it can benefit by soaking up the water and avoid off-site discharge.
• All hoses must be fitted with an automatic shut-off garden hose nozzle. Tampa Water Department customers can request a free outdoor water conservation kit which includes this nozzle.

Pressure washing

• Pressure washing is not allowed if the surface can be cleaned using a broom or other dry method. For example, removing cobwebs or material off a building, or removing grass clippings from a driveway or sidewalk, can be done without pressure washing.
• Pressure washing is allowed for necessary maintenance, such as to maintain a warranty or to remove mold, mildew, or other potentially hazardous material that cannot be removed using a dry method, such as a broom. Compliance with homeowner association or other aesthetic standards does not constitute necessary maintenance.

Reclaimed water

Reclaimed water used for irrigation is generally not subject to our water use restrictions; however, customers must not use it in a wasteful and unnecessary manner.

Enforcement

Citations are issued on first observance by a water use enforcement patroller. Violating water use restrictions in Tampa may result in fines up to $500 and a mandatory court appearance.

Water Shortage

Starting December 1, 2023, the City of Tampa is restricted to once-per-week lawn watering to comply with the Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order declared by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), our state's regulatory agency for our region. Additionally, all wasteful use of water, like hosing down driveways or impervious surfaces, is prohibited effective November 21, 2023. These restrictions also apply to Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.

Why do we have a water shortage?

Our region continues to experience a regional rainfall deficit of about 7.4 inches based on data obtained between April 2023 and May 2024. In addition, water levels in the region's natural resources, such as aquifers, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs have not yet recovered back to normal levels. 

The Tampa Water Department is seeing an increase in water demand through the service area. In September 2023, our customers were using an average of 84.6 million gallons a day (MGD), compared to 80 MGD in September 2022. Due to the increase in demand and lack of rainfall, the Tampa Water Department purchased water from Tampa Bay Water, our region's wholesale water supplier, for the second time in September 2023. 

In May 2024, customers were using an average of 86.4 MGD.