Hillsborough County Watering Schedule: Your Day, Hours and Tampa Rules

The Hillsborough County watering schedule, as of October 2026, is one day a week for lawns under the Southwest Florida Water Management District order, in effect through March 31, 2027. Your day comes from the last digit of the address: 0 or 1 Monday, 2 or 3 Tuesday, 4 or 5 Wednesday, 6 or 7 Thursday, 8 or 9 Friday. Sprinklers run 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. The City of Tampa uses the same days.

What is my watering day in Hillsborough County?

Your watering day is set by the last digit of your street address. Under the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) order, as of October 2026, a lawn may be watered once a week on that day, everywhere in Hillsborough County: the City of Tampa, unincorporated Hillsborough County and the other cities.

The two windows are 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. A house on a lot under one acre picks one of them on its day. A property of one acre or more may run in both, on the same day. A house number ending in 6, for example, waters on Thursday, either before 4 a.m. or after 8 p.m.

This is general information about the SWFWMD watering restrictions and the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County rules, not legal advice. Check the current order or ordinance, or ask your HOA or county, before you rely on it.

How long do the Hillsborough County restrictions last?

The SWFWMD order runs through March 31, 2027, unless the District’s Governing Board changes it sooner. The District declared a Modified Phase III water shortage on March 24, 2026, and on September 22, 2026 voted to extend it again through March 31, 2027, as WUSF reported.

Hillsborough County’s watering page was last updated on June 23, 2026 and still showed the October 1 end date when checked. The District’s extension is the one in force.

What are the City of Tampa watering rules?

City of Tampa addresses use the same address-digit days as the rest of Hillsborough County. The difference is that Tampa’s limits are permanent: the city has restricted watering year-round since 1992, under City Code Sec. 26-97, so its rules do not end when the District order does.

• Lawn days: the same weekday schedule, set by the last digit of the address.
• Hand watering and micro-irrigation: for ornamental plants, midnight to 8 a.m. or 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., once per day.
• New landscapes: a 30-day establishment schedule applies.
• Penalties: fines up to $500 and a mandatory court appearance.
• Questions or reports: the city’s water conservation hotline, (813) 274-8121.

The figures above come from the City of Tampa’s watering days and hours page, updated July 22, 2026. If the property is inside Tampa city limits, the city rules apply; in unincorporated Hillsborough County, the county rules in the next section apply.

What are the rules in unincorporated Hillsborough County?

Unincorporated Hillsborough County follows the same weekday schedule, with sprinklers allowed from midnight to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to midnight, once on your day. The county’s citations start at $100, according to Hillsborough County’s watering page.

Reclaimed water is not voluntary in unincorporated Hillsborough County. Reclaimed customers may water any day of the week, but not between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That rule lets reclaimed lawns water more often than lawns on drinking water, while keeping sprinklers off through the middle of the day.

Can new sod and plants be watered more often?

New lawns and plants get a 60-day establishment period under the SWFWMD order: any day of the week for days 1 to 30, then three days a week for days 31 to 60, as long as you keep a written schedule. On days 31 to 60, even addresses water Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and odd addresses Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Unincorporated Hillsborough County uses the same 60-day allowance. The City of Tampa sets new landscapes on its own 30-day establishment schedule, so a Tampa address should check the city page before laying sod. After day 60, a new lawn joins the address-digit day like every other lawn.

Do private wells have to follow the watering days?

Private wells follow the same one-day schedule. The SWFWMD restrictions page, checked October 6, 2026, applies the order to lawns watered from private wells as well as from utility water, so a well is not an exemption in Hillsborough County.

Can my HOA make me green up a brown lawn right now?

No HOA may require more water use while the SWFWMD order lasts. The District’s order says no HOA or other entity “shall enforce deed restrictions or other community standards requiring an increase in surface water, potable or domestic well water use, including the replacement of plant material to meet aesthetic standards or pressure washing.”

That limit lasts as long as the order, through March 31, 2027 at the last check, and does not cancel every HOA landscape rule. A lawn going dull on one day a week usually needs deeper watering on its day, not new sod. If you want beds that need less water for good, our xeriscaping in Tampa Bay page covers plants that cope with one watering a week. A dull lawn on one watering day usually needs a deeper run on that day, not a product. Medscapes does not apply fertilizer or pesticides; for those, use an FDACS-licensed provider.

What happens if you water on the wrong day?

Under the SWFWMD order, local officials issue citations without a warning first, starting 14 days after the order took effect. The amount depends on where you live in Hillsborough County.

Before you change anything, read the last digit of your address and check whether the property sits inside Tampa city limits. Those two facts tell you the day and whose rules apply. For lawn care across the county, see our Hillsborough County service area, or our lawn care in Tampa Bay plans.

The one thing to do this week: open the irrigation controller and check that it runs on one day only, inside one night window, and that the rain sensor is still connected.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Southwest Florida Water Management District. District water restrictions, checked October 6, 2026. swfwmd.state.fl.us
2. City of Tampa. Watering days and hours, updated July 22, 2026. tampa.gov
3. WUSF. Outdoor watering restrictions extended again, September 22, 2026. wusf.org
4. Hillsborough County. Find my watering days and times, updated June 23, 2026. hcfl.gov