Melbourne, FL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Melbourne, 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
- Blackout hours
- 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily
- Max water per zone
- 0.75 inch per irrigation day
- Max run time
- 1 hour per zone per day
- DST watering days (odd/even)
- Wed/Sat or Thu/Sun
- EST watering days (odd/even)
- Saturday or Sunday only
- First-offense fine
- Up to $25.00
- Rain sensor mandate
- Required on systems installed after 5-1-1991
Summary
Melbourne limits landscape irrigation to two assigned days a week tied to your street address, with a mandatory shutoff between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. year-round. The schedule tightens further under Eastern Standard Time and during declared water shortage emergencies.
(a)When Daylight Savings Time is in effect, landscape irrigation shall occur only in accordance with the following irrigation schedule:(1)Residential landscape irrigation at odd-numbered addresses or no address may occur only on Wednesday and Saturday and shall not occur between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.;(2)Residential landscape irrigation at even-numbered addresses may occur only on Thursday and Sunday and shall not occur between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.;(3)Nonresidential landscape irrigation may occur only on Tuesday and Friday and shall not occur between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; and(4)No more than three-quarters 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 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 32).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 58-162 sets the irrigation schedule by address parity and by whether Daylight Saving Time or Eastern Standard Time is in effect. m. blackout. Every zone is capped at three-quarters of an inch of water and no more than one hour of run time per irrigation day, and Sec. 58-162(c) requires that irrigation be limited to only what landscape actually needs. Sec. 58-163 exempts micro-spray, micro-jet, drip and bubbler systems, hand-held hoses with an automatic shutoff nozzle, new landscape establishment for a 60-day window, chemical watering-in within 24 hours of application, and reclaimed or recycled pond water, from the day/time schedule.
Sec. 58-164 requires any automatic sprinkler system installed after May 1, 1991 to carry a working rain sensor that overrides the cycle after adequate rainfall. Sec. 58-165 allows the city to grant a variance from the specific watering days for documented economic or health hardship, but a variance can never expand a single zone past two days a week in Daylight Saving Time or one day a week in Eastern Standard Time. If the city council or the St. Johns River Water Management District declares a water shortage emergency under Sec. under Sec. 58-167, alongside bans on washing sidewalks and vehicles outside licensed recycling facilities and on filling pools without a filter system.
Violations & Fines
City police officers and city enforcement officers, including fire department inspectors, enforce the schedule under Sec. 58-168, and the city manager may cut off water service to a violator in addition to any court penalty. Sec. 58-169 sets fines of up to $25 for a first offense and up to $50 for a second offense. A third or later conviction during the same water shortage or emergency period carries a fine up to $500 or up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, with each additional day of violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can I water my lawn in Melbourne, FL?
Can I water my lawn any time of day I choose?
Are drip irrigation or hand-watering exempt from the schedule?
What happens if I violate the watering schedule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Melbourne
How Melbourne compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Melbourne to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle water restrictions.