One-Day-Per-Week Watering Limits Continue for Apollo Beach Through Oct. 1
Households, businesses and common areas in Apollo Beach that fall within unincorporated Hillsborough County remain under a one-day-per-week irrigation schedule through October 1, 2026. Hillsborough County announced the extension on June 30, effective July 1, as drought conditions, rainfall deficits and declining regional water levels continued.
Apollo Beach is an unincorporated Hillsborough County community, but not every property using an Apollo Beach mailing address necessarily follows the same local schedule. The county says watering rules can differ by jurisdiction, so property owners should confirm whether their address is in unincorporated Hillsborough County or another local service area.
The restrictions are part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District‘s Modified Phase III “extreme” water-shortage order. The district provides the regional framework, while Hillsborough County publishes the schedule and hours used for properties in the unincorporated county.
What the Apollo Beach schedule requires
For properties governed by the unincorporated-county schedule, the permitted watering day depends on the last digit of the house number:
- 0 or 1: Monday
- 2 or 3: Tuesday
- 4 or 5: Wednesday
- 6 or 7: Thursday
- 8 or 9: Friday
Common areas with or without street addresses, locations without an address and properties with mixed addresses, such as shopping centers and office complexes, are assigned Friday under the county schedule.
Conventional irrigation, including sprinklers and overhead spraying, is limited to 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the assigned day. Properties smaller than one acre may use only one of those two windows.
Private wells and other water sources are included
The county says the lawn and landscaping restrictions apply to irrigation using publicly supplied drinking water, private wells, ponds, lakes and streams. Private-well users therefore are not exempt from the once-weekly lawn-watering schedule.
Hand watering and low-volume irrigation for plants other than lawns or turfgrass are limited to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Reclaimed water has different treatment under the district order: its watering hours are voluntary unless a local government or utility imposes additional restrictions.
Hillsborough County prohibits noncommercial annual aesthetic pressure washing. Aesthetic fountains and other water features are limited to four hours per day and must be properly maintained and either recycle water, use reclaimed water exclusively or provide a necessary water-quality benefit.
Rules affecting businesses and homeowner associations
The district order requires restaurants to serve water only upon request. It also bars homeowner associations and similar entities from enforcing standards that require increased potable or domestic-well use, including replacement plantings to meet aesthetic standards or pressure-washing requirements during the order.
Residents of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace should follow their municipalities’ watering rules rather than assuming the unincorporated-county schedule applies. Apollo Beach properties should be checked by jurisdiction, not just by mailing address or water provider.
Enforcement and the current end date
Hillsborough County says observed violations may result in citations starting at $100. Its published penalty schedule lists a $100 penalty for a first violation, $200 for a second, $300 for a third, $400 for a fourth and $500 for a fifth and later violations.
The county says property owners are responsible for maintaining automated irrigation systems, setting timers for the correct day and time, and keeping rain shut-off equipment and backup batteries working. Before watering, owners should reprogram timers and confirm the assigned day and jurisdiction.
Watering violations can be reported to Hillsborough County Code Enforcement at (813) 274-6600 during normal business hours or through the county’s Water Conservation Hotline at (813) 224-8993 after hours. The county asks reporters to provide the property address, date and time, and type of violation.
The current restriction period runs through October 1, 2026. That is the present end date of the order, not a permanent rule; the district and local authorities may reduce, change or extend restrictions as water-supply conditions change.
Sources
- Hillsborough County: Water Restrictions Extended Through Oct. 1
- Southwest Florida Water Management District: District Water Restrictions
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