Winter Haven, FL Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Max irrigated area
- 10,000 sq ft per residential lot
- High-volume irrigation cap
- 60% of landscaped area
- Applies to lots over
- 6,000 sq ft residential
- Narrow-strip rule
- No irrigation on strips ≤4 feet wide
- Governing section
- ULDC Section 21-154(e)(3)
Summary
Winter Haven caps the maximum irrigated area on a residential lot at 10,000 square feet and limits high-volume irrigation to sixty percent of the landscaped area under Unified Land Development Code Section 21-154(e)(3). The rule applies to all new landscape irrigation and major system rehabilitation.
(3)System design and installation standards. Irrigation system design and installation shall be consistent with the irrigation system standards and the following requirements:a.The maximum total irrigated area on residential lots, regardless of lot size, shall not exceed ten thousand (10,000) square feet. This provision does not apply to temporary irrigation such as portable hoses and sprinklers.b.High-volume irrigation area shall not exceed sixty (60) percent of the landscaped area. This standard is applicable on residential lots over six thousand (6,000) square feet and commercial lots over twenty-one thousand seven hundred fifty (21,750) square feet. This standard applies to common areas and open space in developments. This standard excludes vegetable gardens and fruit or nut trees on individual lots or community gardens.c.Narrow areas, four (4) feet wide or less. shall not be irrigated unless correctly installed low-volume irrigation or correctly installed side-strip irrigation are used.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 108).
Full Breakdown
Section 21-154(e) of the Winter Haven Unified Land Development Code sets irrigation system design and installation standards for all new residential, commercial and institutional construction that requires a landscape irrigation system, and for any existing system undergoing rehabilitation of fifty percent or more. Under subsection (e)(3)(a), the maximum total irrigated area on a residential lot cannot exceed ten thousand square feet regardless of the lot's overall size, though the cap does not reach temporary irrigation such as portable hoses and sprinklers. 5 gallons per minute per emitter, to no more than sixty percent of the landscaped area; that sixty-percent ceiling applies to residential lots over six thousand square feet and commercial lots over 21,750 square feet, including common areas and open space in developments, but it excludes vegetable gardens, fruit and nut trees, and community gardens. Narrow strips four feet wide or less cannot be irrigated at all unless the installer uses correctly installed low-volume or side-strip irrigation. 62.
Violations & Fines
Section 21-154(i) makes any violation of the water conservation article subject to the penalties in the Winter Haven Code of Ordinances and enforceable by any remedy available under Florida law, including code enforcement citation for exceeding the 10,000-square-foot irrigated-area cap or the sixty-percent high-volume irrigation limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my Winter Haven yard can I irrigate?
Does the irrigation limit apply to my vegetable garden?
Do I need a rain sensor on my sprinkler system?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Winter Haven
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