Volusia County, FL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Volusia 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
- Exempt methods
- Drip, microspray, and bubbler irrigation allowed anytime
- New landscape window
- 60-day establishment period for new plantings
- Hand watering
- Hand-held hose with auto shutoff exempt anytime
- Reclaimed water
- Reclaimed and qualifying recycled pond water exempt
- Automatic system rule
- Must include rain or moisture shutoff sensor
Summary
Volusia County's mandatory watering-day schedule does not apply to every irrigation method. Drip, microspray, and bubbler systems, hand-held hoses with an automatic shutoff, new landscaping during its establishment period, and reclaimed water can all be used on days and at times the ordinary schedule would otherwise forbid.
(a) Irrigation using a microspray, microjet, drip or bubbler irrigation system is allowed anytime. (b) Irrigation of new landscape is allowed at any time of day, on any day for the initial 30 days and every other day for the next 30 days for a total of one, 60-day period, provided that the irrigation is limited to the minimum amount necessary for such landscape establishment. ... (e) Irrigation using a hand-held hose equipped with an automatic shutoff nozzle is allowed at any time of day on any day. (g) The use of water from a reclaimed water system is allowed anytime.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 108 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 50-315 lists the exceptions to the county's landscape irrigation schedule in Sec. 50-313. " Watering in chemicals such as insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers is allowed any time within 24 hours of application, capped at one-quarter inch of water per application. Irrigation systems may also run for testing, maintenance, or repair at any time, up to 20 minutes per hour per zone. Reclaimed water use is unrestricted, "which may or may not be supplemented from another source during peak demand periods," and so is recycled water drawn from wet detention ponds that are not augmented by ground, off-site surface, or public supply water.
Discharge from an air-conditioning or other water-dependent cooling system is likewise not limited by the schedule. These exceptions exist alongside Sec. 50-314's separate requirement that any automatic irrigation system installed in the county include a functioning rain or moisture sensor that overrides the timer during wet weather, and Sec. 50-312's narrower variance process for cases the listed exceptions do not cover.
Violations & Fines
Claiming one of these exceptions without meeting its terms, for example, running a conventional sprinkler zone outside the Sec. 50-313 schedule and calling it drip irrigation, or watering new sod past its 60-day establishment window, is treated as a schedule violation under Sec. 50-316, carrying a $50 civil penalty for a first offense and escalating fines up to $500 for repeat violations within five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use drip irrigation any day I want in Volusia County?
How long can I water new sod outside the normal watering-day schedule?
Does reclaimed water have to follow the watering-day schedule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Volusia County
How Volusia County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Volusia County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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