Fort Lauderdale, FL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Fort Lauderdale, FL, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Authority
- SFWMD year-round irrigation rule (Broward County)
- Watering days (even/no address)
- Thursdays and/or Sundays
- Watering days (odd address)
- Wednesdays and/or Saturdays
- Prohibited hours
- 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Rain-sensor law
- Fla. Stat. 373.62(1)
- Hand watering
- Allowed anytime with self-cancelling nozzle
Summary
Fort Lauderdale follows the South Florida Water Management District's mandatory year-round landscape irrigation rule, which limits irrigation to set days by address and bans watering between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; Florida Statute 373.62 separately requires automatic sprinkler systems to have a moisture/rain shut-off device.
Any person who purchases and installs an automatic landscape irrigation system must properly install, maintain, and operate technology that inhibits or interrupts operation of the system during periods of sufficient moisture.
Full Breakdown
Outdoor irrigation in Fort Lauderdale is governed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) year-round Mandatory Landscape Irrigation Conservation Measures, which apply to all of Broward County including the city. In Broward's two-day-per-week schedule, even-numbered (and no-address) locations may irrigate only on Thursdays and/or Sundays and odd-numbered addresses only on Wednesdays and/or Saturdays, and no landscape irrigation is allowed between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on any day. Hand watering with a self-cancelling (automatic shut-off) nozzle, and low-volume micro-irrigation, are allowed at any time. Statewide, Florida Statute 373.62(1) requires that 'Any person who purchases and installs an automatic landscape irrigation system must properly install, maintain, and operate technology that inhibits or interrupts operation of the system during periods of sufficient moisture,' which in practice means a working rain-sensor or soil-moisture shut-off. These restrictions are enforced by SFWMD, local governments, and law enforcement.
Violations & Fines
SFWMD's year-round measures are mandatory and enforceable by the District, local governments, and law enforcement; repeat or willful violations of irrigation-day and time limits can result in code-enforcement citations and fines. Failure to install or maintain a required rain/moisture shut-off device on an automatic sprinkler system violates Fla. Stat. 373.62.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Fort Lauderdale?
Can I hand water my plants any day in Fort Lauderdale?
Does Florida require a rain sensor on my sprinkler system?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Lauderdale
How Fort Lauderdale compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Fort Lauderdale to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Broward County handle water restrictions.