Sarasota, FL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Sarasota, 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
- Adopts by reference
- FAC ch. 40D-21
- Covers
- Utility, well, and surface water
- Fine schedule
- $100 / $300 / $500
- Enforced by
- Police + code compliance
Summary
The City of Sarasota adopts the Southwest Florida Water Management District's irrigation-day and irrigation-hour rules by reference, so ignoring the district's watering schedule is also a city code violation.
The provisions of Chapter 40D-21, Florida Administrative Code, as the same may be amended from time to time, are hereby incorporated and adopted by reference into this article. It shall be a violation of this article to violate any provision of Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 40D-21, including but not limited to regulations establishing days and hours when lawns or landscaping may be irrigated.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33 | Zoning: Supplement 44).
Full Breakdown
City of Sarasota Code § 37-108 incorporates Florida Administrative Code Chapter 40D-21, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's water shortage rules, which set the days and hours lawns or landscaping may be irrigated, by reference into the city code. § 37-106 applies the article to everyone using water in the city, whether through the utility system, a private well, or a private surface-water connection (treated effluent and saltwater users are exempt). The city commission may also adopt its own stricter drought contingency plan under § 37-111, and users can petition the district for a variance under § 37-110.
Violations & Fines
Irrigating outside the district's assigned days or hours under FAC ch. 40D-21 is a civil infraction under § 37-112: a warning first, then $100, $300, and $500 fines for the first, second, and third offenses, each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the City of Sarasota set its own lawn-watering days?
What's the fine for watering on the wrong day in Sarasota?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sarasota
How Sarasota compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Sarasota to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sarasota County handle water restrictions.