St. Lucie County, FL Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in St. Lucie 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
- No irrigation
- 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. daily
- Even addresses
- Thursday and/or Sunday only
- Odd addresses
- Wednesday and/or Saturday only
- New landscaping grace period
- 90 days, extra days allowed
- Warning limit
- One per 6 months, then fines
- Enforcement
- Code enforcement board/special magistrate
Summary
Unincorporated St. Lucie County bans landscape irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round and limits watering to two assigned days a week: even addresses water Thursday and/or Sunday, odd addresses water Wednesday and/or Saturday, under County Code § 20-307.
Landscape irrigation shall be prohibited between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., except as otherwise provided...Even addresses, as defined in section 20-305(5), installations with irrigation systems that irrigate both even and odd addresses within the same zones, such as multi-family units and homeowners' associations, and rights-of-way or other locations with no address shall have the opportunity to accomplish necessary landscape irrigation two days a week, only on Thursday and/or Sunday. Odd addresses, as defined in section 20-305(13), shall have the opportunity to accomplish necessary landscape irrigation two days a week, only on Wednesday and/or Saturday.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Land Development Code: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Article X of Chapter 20 adopts the South Florida Water Management District's year-round conservation measures as county law. every day, no exceptions for season. Existing landscaping (planted more than 90 days) is then locked to a twice-weekly schedule keyed to street address: even-numbered addresses, mixed-zone installations (like HOAs irrigating both even and odd lots on one zone), and no-address rights-of-way get Thursday and/or Sunday; odd-numbered addresses get Wednesday and/or Saturday. New landscaping gets a 90-day grace window with extra days, tapering from six days a week in the first 30 days down to four days (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday) through day 90, but only for the zone containing at least 50 percent new plantings.
The rule applies to every user drawing from any water resource in unincorporated St. Lucie County, with statutory exceptions for reclaimed water, agricultural/nursery irrigation, and athletic play areas under § 20-306. A district-declared water shortage or water shortage emergency under Article IX supersedes this schedule entirely for its duration. The environmental resources director may grant a hardship variance from the assigned watering days under § 20-310 where the applicant shows the schedule causes substantial economic or health hardship that isn't self-imposed.
Violations & Fines
Enforcement runs through Chapter 1, Article II Code Enforcement, including the code enforcement board or a special magistrate (§ 20-313). Each day of a violation is a separate offense, but the county may issue no more than one written warning per violator in any six-month period before penalties apply. The county can also seek injunctive relief in addition to civil penalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
What days can odd-numbered addresses water their lawn in St. Lucie County?
Can I water new sod every day after installing it?
Does a declared water shortage change the watering schedule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Lucie County
How St. Lucie County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·Florida rules heatmap·Compare St. Lucie County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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