Tampa Bay Water Restrictions Extended Through March 2027

The Southwest Florida Water Management District extended its Modified Phase III “Extreme” Water Shortage on September 22, 2026. The restrictions now remain in effect through March 31, 2027, across Hillsborough County and much of the Tampa Bay region. Tampa homeowners using city water or well water for lawn irrigation must follow a once-per-week watering schedule based on the final digit of the property address. For properties smaller than one acre, watering is allowed during one overnight window on the assigned day: midnight to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. The extension did not introduce a new schedule. It keeps the existing emergency limits in place as the region continues to face drought. The district reports a 15.4-inch rainfall deficit over the 12 months ending in August 2026. As of September 20, Tampa Bay Water’s C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir held 7.87 billion gallons, about half its storage capacity. Those figures explain why the district extended Tampa Bay watering restrictions beyond the usual rainy season. Residents should verify their assigned day with the City of Tampa or their local utility because local schedules or rules can differ. The water shortage order applies to private wells as well as public water supplies in the affected counties.

For South Tampa landscape maintenance, irrigation service, and sod installation, the extended drought restrictions make accurate system settings especially important. Tampa asks residents to check for broken sprinkler heads, leaks, tilted spray heads, controller resets after power outages, and working rain sensors. Irrigation must stop when sufficient rain has fallen in the previous 24 hours. The city permits a limited sprinkler test for leaks, but its normal watering limits still govern routine lawn irrigation. Newly installed sod follows the city's separate 30-day establishment schedule; the prohibited daytime watering hours still apply during establishment. Hand watering and microirrigation for shrubs, trees, flowers, and other non-turf landscape plants are allowed on any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Hand watering turf remains tied to the designated lawn watering day and hours. These distinctions matter when planning a Tampa lawn renovation, an irrigation repair, or a new landscape planting. A dry lawn alone does not establish the cause of damage, so property owners should inspect coverage and identify leaks before changing run times. The City of Tampa offers free irrigation evaluations, leak detection assistance, and water-saving devices. Its rules also state that managing entities cannot require replacement of plant material to meet aesthetic standards when doing so would increase water use under the current restrictions.