Seminole County, FL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Seminole County, 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
- DST schedule
- 2 days/week by address
- EST schedule
- 1 day/week, residential
- Per-zone cap
- 3/4 inch, 1 hour max
- New landscape grace
- 60-day establishment period
- Variance authority
- Department Director
Summary
Seminole County's Water Conservation Ordinance limits residential irrigation to two days a week by address, cuts to one day during Eastern Standard Time, and caps every zone at three-quarters of an inch of water and one hour per watering day, county code Sec. 270.255.
(1)When Daylight Savings Time is in effect, landscape irrigation shall occur only in accordance with the following irrigation schedule:(a)Landscape irrigation at even numbered addresses may only occur on Thursday and Sunday and must not occur between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.(b)Landscape irrigation at odd numbered addresses or no address may only occur on Wednesday and Saturday and must not occur between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m....(e)No more than ¾ inch of water may be applied per irrigation zone on each day that irrigation occurs, and in no event shall irrigation occur for more than one (1) hour per irrigation zone on each day that irrigation occurs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 1 | Land Development Code: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
During Daylight Saving Time, Sec. m. Once Eastern Standard Time takes over, Sec. 255(2) tightens residential watering to a single day: even addresses on Sunday, odd addresses on Saturday, non-residential on Tuesday, still outside the midday window. Every zone is capped at three-quarters of an inch of water and one hour of run time per watering day, and any sprinkler system installed after May 1, 1991 must carry a working rain sensor. Sec. 256 carves out real exceptions: micro-spray, drip and bubbler systems can run anytime; new landscaping gets daily watering for 30 days then every other day for the next 30; watering in pesticides or fertilizers is allowed within 24 hours of application up to a quarter inch; hand-held hoses with automatic shutoff nozzles are unrestricted; and reclaimed or wet-detention pond water is exempt entirely.
Sec. 257 lets the Department Director grant a variance where strict compliance would cause substantial economic or health hardship, capped at two irrigation days per zone during Daylight Saving Time or one during Eastern Standard Time. Sec. 258 applies the rule to every person located in the County, and it was last amended by Ord. No. 2009-24 in 2009 after originally being adopted by Ord. No. 2007-18 in 2007.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 270.259 makes a violation a Class I violation under Sec. 53.31(a) of the County Code, enforced by the Department Director and staff, who may issue written warning notices and refer cases to the State Attorney's Office for prosecution. There is no grace period built into the section itself; each watering event outside the permitted schedule can be separately cited.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days a week can I water my lawn in Seminole County?
Is drip irrigation exempt from the watering schedule?
Can new sod be watered every day in Seminole County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seminole County
How Seminole County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Seminole County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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