Polk County, Florida watering rules: days, hours and exemptions

For Polk County Utilities' homes and businesses, lawn watering is limited to twice a week, whatever the water source.³ The district's rule sets the days:^4-5

• No watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on any day.
• A property of two acres or more can water half its ground on each address schedule, with a map on site showing which half gets which days.
• An automatic sprinkler system needs a working rain sensor, soil moisture sensor or similar device that stops it when the ground is wet enough.

All three are in the district's rule.⁴

These come from the district's rule:⁴

• Beds, shrubs and other plants that aren't lawn, as needed on any day, with drip, micro-irrigation, a soaker hose or hand watering with a shut-off nozzle.
• Dry patches of lawn, by hand only, during the allowed hours. Hand watering a whole lawn on a day that isn't yours counts as waste.
• New lawns and plants, for 60 days from planting. For the first 30 days they can be watered on any day. From day 31 to day 60, addresses ending in an even number water on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and odd addresses on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. On planting day they can be watered once at any hour. A whole sprinkler zone can be run only if at least half of it is new planting; otherwise water just the new plants.
• Testing a sprinkler system, once a week, up to 10 minutes a zone, with someone there.
• Watering in fertilizer or pesticide where the label or the law calls for it: one quarter inch within 24 hours unless the maker says otherwise, during allowed hours. A professional applicator who posts a dated sign can water outside them.
• After a named tropical storm or hurricane warning, one extra watering within 72 hours to rinse salt off plants.

The district's rule doesn't limit reclaimed water, except where a local government or the reclaimed water supplier does, and it asks reclaimed users to avoid watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m..⁴ If you get reclaimed water, ask your supplier what it allows.

The county bans using water with no practical purpose, in a grossly inefficient way, or for a job that can be done another way.¹ The district's rule adds leaving a hose running with no one there, hosing a driveway or building to clear what a broom could, and leaving a broken sprinkler head or leaking faucet running after you've been told about it.⁴

Enforcing the rules is the duty of county government and law enforcement officials. Ordinance No. 09-050 sends violations to the county's code enforcement special magistrate and sets the penalties.¹ Polk County Utilities customers who don't follow the restrictions can face fines and liens against real and personal property.³

To report a violation, email WRE@polkfl.gov with the address, the date and time, and what happened (watering on the wrong day or at the wrong time, for example). Reports need your name and contact details, and under Florida's public records law the email may be released. For questions about the irrigation schedule, call Polk County Utilities at (863) 298-4211.¹

Customers of other utilities in Polk County should check their city's or supplier's restrictions, which may set stricter days or hours than Polk County Utilities does.¹ The district keeps a list of each city's contact for restriction questions and violation reports.⁶