Last updated:
Last verified: October 6, 2026, against Orange County Utilities and the St. Johns River Water Management District.
As of October 6, 2026, Orange County (Orlando) allows landscape irrigation 2 days per week under the St. Johns River Water Management District schedule. Odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and Saturday, even-numbered addresses water Thursday and Sunday, and non-residential properties water Tuesday and Friday. Watering is never allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and is limited to one hour per zone. This 2-day schedule runs March 8 through October 31; from November 1, 2026 through March 13, 2027, Orlando drops to one day per week per address.
Sources, read October 6, 2026: Orange County Utilities watering restrictions for the Orange County schedule and enforcement, and the St. Johns River Water Management District for district-wide water-shortage orders. Updated October 6, 2026.
| Rule | Detail (Orlando / Orange County, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Days per week (Mar 8 – Oct 31) | 2 |
| Odd-numbered addresses | Wednesday & Saturday |
| Even-numbered addresses | Thursday & Sunday |
| Non-residential | Tuesday & Friday |
| Prohibited hours (year-round) | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
| Maximum per zone | 1 hour |
| Winter schedule (Nov – mid-March) | 1 day per week |
| Rain sensor | Required on automatic systems (Florida law) |
| Reclaimed water | Exempt from day/time limits |
What is the Orange County irrigation schedule?
The Orange County irrigation schedule is two days per week from March 8 through October 31, 2026: odd-numbered addresses Wednesday and Saturday, even-numbered addresses Thursday and Sunday, and non-residential properties Tuesday and Friday. Run sprinklers only before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m., one hour per zone. From November through mid-March the schedule drops to one day per week.
Is Orlando under a drought watering restriction right now?
A St. Johns River Water Management District Phase III Extreme Water Shortage declaration is in effect for portions of Baker, Bradford, Lake, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties, portions of Alachua County and portions of Marion County, and it limits irrigation to one day per week there. Orange County follows the district’s standard restrictions, so Orlando remains on the standard 2-days-per-week schedule as of October 6, 2026. Because drought stages change, confirm the current stage with Orange County or SJRWMD before adjusting your timer.
In Orlando, landscape irrigation is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. year-round to cut evaporation loss. Water early morning or evening on your assigned day, and run no more than one hour per zone. Hand watering and micro-irrigation of non-turf plants are generally allowed any time.
Does Florida require a rain sensor on sprinkler systems?
Yes. Florida law requires every automatic in-ground irrigation system to have a working rain-shutoff device (rain sensor) that turns the system off when enough rain has fallen. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to keep it functioning, and Orange County can cite systems that run during or right after rain.
Can you use reclaimed water in Orlando?
Yes. Reclaimed (recycled) water is exempt from the day-of-week and time-of-day irrigation limits in Orange County, so homes on a reclaimed line can water outside the normal 2-day schedule. Confirm availability and any local guidance with your utility, such as OUC or Orange County Utilities.
When does Orlando switch to one-day-a-week watering?
Orlando follows a seasonal schedule: 2 days per week during Daylight Saving Time (March 8 through October 31, 2026) and 1 day per week from November through mid-March, when cooler weather means lawns need less water. A separate drought declaration can also tighten the schedule, so check the current rule before the seasonal switch.
Orlando Watering Rules: Data
Current rules as observed, with every change we have recorded since tracking began. Source of record: Orlando Utilities Commission / St. Johns River WMD.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Days per week (Mar 8 – Oct 31) | 2 |
| Odd-numbered addresses | Wednesday & Saturday |
| Even-numbered addresses | Thursday & Sunday |
| Non-residential | Tuesday & Friday |
| Prohibited hours (year-round) | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
| Maximum per zone | 1 hour |
| Winter schedule (Nov – mid-March) | 1 day per week |
| Rain sensor | Required on automatic systems (Florida law) |
| Reclaimed water | Exempt from day/time limits |
Change log
| First observed | Status | Rules recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-27 | current | Days per week (Mar 8 – Oct 31): 2; Odd-numbered addresses: Wednesday & Saturday; Even-numbered addresses: Thursday & Sunday |
Last checked: 2026-08-27. A new row is added only when the observed rules change, so this log records what changed and when we saw it.
Cite this: “Orlando Watering Rules: Data,” updated 2026-08-27, https://orlandoprolandscape.com/orlando-watering-restrictions/#watering-rules-dataset
What breaking the Orange County watering rules costs
Orange County enforces the schedule rather than publishing it and hoping. A first
violation brings a warning, delivered as a door-hanger notice and followed by a letter.
Repeat violations move to fines, and Orange County’s conservation programme documents a
$25 penalty at the first fined offence.
The practical consequence for a homeowner is that an irrigation controller left on a
pre-restriction schedule is not a technicality. It runs on the wrong days every week until
someone changes it, which is what turns a warning into a fine.
Enforcement process from
Orange County Utilities; penalty
figure from Orange County’s Water Watch
programme. Both read 2026-08-31.
The exact dates the Orange County schedule changes
Orange County publishes the changeover dates rather than describing them loosely. The
two-day-a-week schedule runs March 8 through October 31, 2026. The
one-day-a-week winter schedule runs November 1, 2026 through March 13, 2027,
when odd-numbered addresses water Saturday, even-numbered addresses water Sunday, and
non-residential properties water Tuesday.
New sod and new landscape plantings have a separate establishment exception, so a lawn
laid this month is not held to the same schedule as an established one. Confirm the current
exception terms with the county before relying on it.
Dates and the new-sod exception from
Orange County Utilities, read 2026-08-31.
Is Orange County under the district Phase III order?
No. The St. Johns River Water Management District has a Phase III Extreme Water Shortage declaration in effect, and it does restrict irrigation to one day a week with watering prohibited between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. But the declaration applies to portions of Baker, Bradford, Lake, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties, portions of Alachua County and portions of Marion County. Orange County is not among them, and the district says all of Orange County follows its standard restrictions. Orange County’s own published schedule remains two days a week through October 31, 2026.
This distinction is worth stating plainly because a district-wide notice and a county
schedule are different documents, and reading the first as if it governed Orange County
produces the wrong watering day.
Phase III terms and the affected counties from the St. Johns River Water Management District, read October 6, 2026.
What is the landscape watering schedule in Orlando?
Landscape irrigation in Orange County is allowed 2 days per week as of October 6, 2026 under the St. Johns River Water Management District schedule. Odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and Saturday, even-numbered addresses Thursday and Sunday, non-residential properties Tuesday and Friday, never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Orlando Pro Landscape follows this schedule for irrigation work in Orlando.