The 2026 Watering Restrictions Are Here: What You Need to Know

If you live in the Tampa Bay area—including Hillsborough and Pasco counties—you’ve likely heard the news. Due to a severe rainfall deficit, we are officially under a Modified Phase II Water Shortage from now until July 1, 2026.

That means we are strictly down to one-day-per-week watering.

The good news? The new rules explicitly state that your HOA cannot fine you or force you to replace your grass if it turns brown due to these restrictions. The bad news? Fines for breaking the county watering rules can be steep. So, how do you keep your landscape alive when you can only run your system once a week?

The Biggest Mistake Homeowners Make When restricted to one day, the immediate panic response is to crank up the irrigation timer. If a zone normally runs for 20 minutes, people bump it up to 45 minutes or an hour, hoping to flood the lawn with enough water to last the week.

Please don't do this! Florida soil can only absorb so much water at once. Pumping an hour of water onto your grass at one time creates surface tension. The ground stops drinking, and all that expensive water just sheets off your lawn and down into the street drain.

The Solution: Use Program A and Program B To actually get water down to the deep roots where it matters, you need to split up your watering times on your designated day. You can do this easily using the "Program A" and "Program B" features on almost every standard irrigation timer.

Here is the pro tip: Instead of watering for 45 minutes straight, water for 20 minutes, let it soak in, and then water again later.

Step 1: Leave your normal schedule on Program A. For example, set it to run your zones starting at 4:00 AM.

Step 2: Go to Program B and set a second start time for later in the evening on your permitted day (for example, 9:00 PM—just ensure you don't cross over midnight into a restricted day).

Step 3: Adjust the run times. By breaking the watering into two cycles, the ground actually has time to absorb the first round, meaning the second round will penetrate deeper into the root zone instead of washing into the gutter.

If you aren't sure how to set up dual programs on your specific timer, or if you want to make sure your system is running at peak efficiency before the dry season peaks, give Water Oak Irrigation a call. We can optimize your system to make every drop count