Water restrictions in Orlando, FL — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Orlando is under the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) year-round water conservation rules limiting landscape irrigation to two days per week. Watering is allowed only before 10 AM or after 4 PM (effectively pre-6am or post-4pm for evaporation efficiency). Even-numbered addresses water Thursday and Sunday; odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and Saturday; non-residential water Tuesday and Friday. Hand watering is exempt at any time.
SJRWMD rules govern Orlando year-round, not just during droughts. Under SJRWMD watering restrictions in Ch. 40C-2 of the Florida Administrative Code, residential properties may irrigate only two days per week based on address: odd addresses Wednesday and Saturday, even addresses Thursday and Sunday, non-residential Tuesday and Friday. Watering is prohibited between 10 AM and 4 PM to reduce evaporative loss. Orlando enforces these rules through both city code enforcement and the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) which can identify excessive water use through smart meter data. Reclaimed water customers follow the same schedule. Hand watering with a hose equipped with an automatic shutoff and watering of new sod or plants during the establishment period (60 days) are exempt. Drought emergencies can trigger one-day-per-week restrictions.
First violation: written warning. Second violation: 100 dollar fine. Third violation: 250 dollars. Fourth and subsequent: 500 dollars per occurrence. Water service can be disconnected for repeat egregious violations.
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