Tampa Bay remains under a once-per-week Modified Phase III water-shortage order through October 1, 2026, unless the Southwest Florida Water Management District changes it sooner. The regional order covers Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties and includes private wells (District extension).
But there is no single correct “Tampa Bay watering day.” Your day can depend on the utility, local jurisdiction, property address, water source, and—in Pinellas—customer area. Confirm those fields before changing an irrigation controller.
Start with service provider, not the mailing city
A mailing address labeled Tampa, Lutz, or another community does not identify the water provider or enforcing authority. Find a recent utility bill, check whether irrigation uses potable, reclaimed, surface, or well water, and verify whether the property is inside a municipality.
Then use the strictest current rule that applies. The District sets regional restrictions, while local governments and utilities can publish additional or more restrictive instructions. A homeowners association cannot authorize watering that the public rule prohibits; the City of Tampa page expressly tells managing entities to follow the restriction (City schedule).
A routing table for the current order
| Reader situation | Starting rule | Address grouping | Verification page |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Tampa water customer | Once weekly during published restricted hours | Last digit: 0/1 Monday, 2/3 Tuesday, 4/5 Wednesday, 6/7 Thursday, 8/9 Friday | City of Tampa |
| Covered Hillsborough County property | Once weekly during the District windows | Same weekday last-digit groups in the June County notice | Hillsborough County |
| Pinellas County Utilities customer | Once weekly, with customer-area and source-specific instructions | Do not substitute the Tampa/Hillsborough chart; Pinellas distinguishes customer groups, including location relative to SR 580 | Pinellas County |
| Other municipality or utility in the three-county area | At least the regional shortage rule, plus any stricter local rule | Confirm on the provider’s current page | District order and provider |
| Private-well irrigation | Covered by the regional order | Follow the applicable local/address schedule | District FAQ |
This table is a routing tool, not a complete reproduction of every municipality’s rules. Pinellas is deliberately not compressed into Tampa’s chart because its official notice routes customers by service area and water source.
The regional watering windows
Unless a local authority is stricter, the District identifies two irrigation windows:
- 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m.; or
- 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
For a parcel under one acre, the District FAQ says to use only one of those windows on the assigned day. Larger properties have additional timing instructions in the official record. Running at both ends of the day on a smaller parcel is not a way to double the allowance.
The windows restrict when irrigation can occur; they do not say every landscape needs four hours. Program zones for the actual system and plant needs without exceeding the public restriction, and fix visible leaks or overspray.
City of Tampa and Hillsborough weekday groups
The City and County pages reviewed July 30 publish the same last-digit weekday grouping:
- Addresses ending in 0 or 1: Monday.
- 2 or 3: Tuesday.
- 4 or 5: Wednesday.
- 6 or 7: Thursday.
- 8 or 9: Friday.
- Locations without a discernible address: use the live authority page rather than inventing a day.
That similarity does not make the pages interchangeable. Their customer scope, enforcement contacts, exceptions, reclaimed-water instructions, and other uses may differ. The City’s current page includes specific hand-watering and non-irrigation instructions; Hillsborough’s June notice lists its applicable uses and property-size condition.
Why Pinellas needs a separate check
Pinellas County’s official extension notice says its Utilities customers must follow schedules that vary based on customer area and source. It distinguishes groups north and south of State Road 580 and provides separate routing for some reclaimed-water customers (Pinellas notice).
Rather than copy only part of that matrix, use the live County page and confirm that Pinellas County Utilities is actually the provider. A municipality in Pinellas may publish its own instructions.
Reset checklist for an irrigation controller
- Identify the irrigation source. Potable, reclaimed, private well, pond, or another source can affect which instruction applies.
- Identify the provider and jurisdiction. Use a utility bill and official boundary information.
- Open the current official schedule. Confirm the page still refers to the Modified Phase III order and has not been superseded.
- Match the complete address rule. Use the correct customer group, not a neighboring jurisdiction’s day.
- Choose the allowed window. For property under one acre, use one regional window unless the local rule is stricter.
- Check every controller program. Seasonal, alternate, test, and smart-controller programs can create unintended extra cycles.
- Inspect operation. Correct broken heads, runoff, pavement spray, and leaks instead of extending runtime.
- Set an update reminder. Recheck before October 1 and immediately after any new District or utility notice.
If a contractor or property manager programs the system, ask them to record the source page, access date, assigned group, and enabled programs. That makes the setting auditable after the temporary order changes.
Other water uses are not answered by the lawn schedule
Hand watering, new landscaping, pressure washing, vehicle washing, fountains, and reclaimed-water systems can have separate instructions or exceptions. Read the relevant section on the enforcing authority’s page. Do not infer that an assigned irrigation day authorizes every outdoor water use.
An exemption or variance should be documented by the authority. A contractor’s verbal interpretation is not the order.
What happens on October 1
October 1 is the current through-date, not a promise that ordinary schedules automatically return. The District can extend, modify, or lift an order based on conditions. Leave the controller at its compliant setting until a newer official notice identifies the next rule.
Method and limitations
Local Service Ledger reviewed the District extension and FAQ, City of Tampa schedule, Hillsborough County extension, and Pinellas County notice on July 30, 2026. We compared six fields: customer scope, water source, frequency, address grouping, allowed hours, and live verification path.
We did not determine any property’s service provider, water source, acreage, address group, exemption, or violation status. Pasco municipalities and utilities are not individually tabulated here. Start with the District record, then confirm the current local utility page before watering.