Alachua County, FL Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

Chapter 77's landscape irrigation article puts the ongoing duty to catch water waste on the property owner, not on a county inspector making rounds. Section 77.63(b) requires the owner to keep the irrigation system operating efficiently, which includes resetting the automatic controller for the season and current watering restrictions, cleaning irrigation filters, and testing the rainfall shut-off device or soil moisture sensor regularly, replacing it if it's not working correctly. At a minimum, the whole system must be inspected annually for leaks, overspray, maladjusted heads, and sprinkler heads that should be capped off because landscaping has changed.

Once a leak is known, § 77.63(c) is direct: the system 'shall not be operated until the leaks are repaired,' with the only exception being operation needed to test whether the repair worked. The duty doesn't end at installation, either, § 77.63(e) makes the owner responsible for keeping the system leak-free after later work on the property, such as fence installation or gutter work, that could damage buried irrigation lines. Commercial systems and common areas in residential developments face an added layer: they must register with the county and submit documentation of an annual inspection or audit that specifically details leak repairs using equivalent or higher-efficiency parts, along with tree and shrub watering adjustments (§ 77.63(f)). Within the first 60 days after any new installation, § 77.63(a) separately requires the owner to confirm the controller is adjusted to normal conditions and doesn't exceed the current watering-schedule restrictions.