Watering Restrictions

The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2020-A17, effective June 23, 2020.  For established lawns and landscapes, irrigation may occur during only one (1) of the specified time periods, 12:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m., on the allowable watering days below:

Addresses with house numbers ending in:

__0 or 1 Monday                                

__2 or 3 Tuesday                    __6 or 7 Thursday                 

__4 or 5 Wednesday              __8 or 9 or common areas Friday

Water restrictions are enforced for all sources of water on or beneath the surface of the ground, including water withdrawn from wells.  Restrictions apply to use of in-ground irrigation systems, hose-end sprinklers, hand watering, or any other means of applying water to grass.   

If you have installed new plant material within the last sixty days or have another valid reason for this water use, please contact our office at 352-527-7669 to provide details. 

Proper irrigation system maintenance conserves water by minimizing waste. This is why the District prohibits the operation of a broken sprinkler head or other malfunctioning component after the responsible party has been notified about the problem by the District, water utility or local government (reference: Chapter 40D-22.201(2)(e), Florida Administrative Code).
Maintenance is not limited to fixing broken, missing or misaligned irrigation system components. It should also include proactively testing a system to identify problems, verify proper operation of a rain or moisture sensor, and make seasonal adjustments to the irrigation schedule.

There are important water use allowances for testing and maintenance:

• Irrigation Systems may be operated during otherwise restricted days or times (in other words, and day and any time) for testing and repair purposes.
• Routine, proactive testing may be done up to once a week.
• The run-time for any one test in any one irrigation zone may not exceed 10 minutes.
• An attendant must be on-site when the testing is taking place. This generally means that the attendant is visible from the nearest road or other public property. If the attendant is not clearly visible, an irrigation professional's commercial vehicle or other means (such as temporary marker "flags") should be used to alert passers-by of the ongoing activity.

New Plant Material may qualify for additional watering allowances, if it consists of at least 50 percent of an irrigated zone. ONLY zones that have more than fifty percent new plant material are allowed additional watering via an irrigation system.  Citrus County suggests that you Call Before You Install new plant material. Citrus County Water Resources will conduct a site visit and explain your options. To learn if your new plantings qualify for additional watering, please call (352) 527-7669 or email waterconservation@citrusbocc.com.

Qualifying New Plant Material Watering Allowance:

New lawns and plants have a 30-30 establishment period, which allows any day watering during the first 30 days, before 8:00 AM or after 6:00 PM.

During the second 30 days, watering is allowed three days per week:

• Even addresses may water on Tuesday, Thursday and/or Sunday, if needed
• Odd addresses may water Monday, Wednesday and/or Saturday, if needed

Reclaimed water remains subject to voluntary watering hours, unless restricted by the local government or utility.