Pinellas Water Restrictions Extended Through March 2027 as Drought Deepens

Pinellas County homeowners will be watering their lawns on the same tight, once-a-week schedule for another year and a half. The Southwest Florida Water Management District has extended its "Extreme" Water Shortage Order for Pinellas County and surrounding areas through March 31, 2027, the county announced Sept. 23. Utility staff must issue $193 fines to anyone caught violating the rules.

The extension does not loosen or tighten anything. It simply keeps the current restrictions locked in place for another 18 months, because the drought that triggered them hasn't let up. SWFWMD says the region's 12-month rainfall total is running 15.4 inches below normal, even after this summer's storms, and that lakes, rivers and the aquifer remain unusually low for this time of year.

For most residents, that means one watering day a week, and only during narrow overnight or late-evening windows. Pinellas County Utilities customers on potable, well or lake water are assigned a single day based on where their address falls relative to SR580 and whether their house number ends in an even or odd digit. Reclaimed water customers get two days.

What day can you water?

Pinellas County Utilities has split the watering calendar in two: one schedule for customers north of SR580, another for those south of it.

North of SR580	Potable/Well/Lake	Reclaimed
Even address	Saturdays only	Tue and/or Sat
Odd address	Wednesdays only	Wed and/or Sun
No/mixed address	Wednesdays only	Wed and/or Sun

South of SR580	Potable/Well/Lake	Reclaimed
Even address	Tuesdays only	Tue and/or Sun
Odd address	Thursdays only	Mon and/or Thu
No/mixed address	Thursdays only	Mon and/or Thu

The hours are just as strict as the days. Watering is only allowed from 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or from 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. If your property is under an acre, you get to pick just one of those two windows, not both. Properties an acre or larger can use both.

Not everyone in the county gets water from Pinellas County Utilities. Residents served by another provider, whether a municipal system, a private utility or a homeowners association, need to check their own supplier for the exact days and hours that apply to them, since some cities set their own local schedules within the district's broader order.

Why the drought order keeps getting extended

This is the second time SWFWMD has extended the Modified Phase III order rather than let it expire. The district's reasoning hasn't changed: rainfall over the past year has fallen well short of normal across the region, and groundwater and surface water levels haven't recovered enough to justify easing the rules. A wet summer helped, but not enough to close a 15.4-inch rainfall deficit built up over a full year.

That deficit is the number driving everything else. Lakes and rivers that would normally be replenishing through the wet season are still running low, and the aquifer that feeds much of the region's drinking water supply is following the same pattern. Until those numbers turn around, county officials say cutting outdoor water use remains one of the simplest ways residents can help stretch the supply.

The county has not indicated any plan to revisit the schedule before the March 2027 expiration date, though water shortage orders can be adjusted earlier if conditions change significantly. Residents can find their exact watering day, submit questions about the restrictions, or report suspected violations through Pinellas County's water conservation page.

For more updates like this, visit Pinellas County Community Website or follow us on Facebook. Got thoughts on the new watering schedule or a question about your address's assigned day? Join the conversation in our Community Forum. You can also read more alerts and advisories or catch up on other local government news affecting Pinellas County households.