Citrus County has enacted mandatory irrigation restrictions effective immediately, in response to increased irrigation demands that resulted in groundwater withdrawals exceeding Southwest Florida Water Management District’s (SWFWMD) permitted amounts. The new watering schedule is necessary to bring water use into permit compliance and avoid regulatory penalties. 

Citrus County rolls out one-day watering schedule for all unincorporated areas

The new landscape irrigation restrictions are in place for all Citrus County except the cities of Crystal River and Inverness. The new restrictions include:

•             Landscape irrigation is limited to one day per week for unincorporated Citrus County.

•             Irrigation is only allowed on a specific day of the week based on the last number of the address.

•             All landscape irrigation is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reduce evaporation.

•             Established lawns less than one acre in size, shall choose to irrigate either before 10 AM or after 4 PM – not both.

•             Hand watering and micro-irrigation of plants (other than lawns) can be done on any day before 10 AM or after 4 PM.

•             All wasteful and unnecessary water use is prohibited.  For example, irrigating within 12 hours of receiving ¾” of rain, irrigating with a broken sprinkler head/part or allowing water to flow from a hose without a nozzle.

Below is the one-day per week unincorporated Citrus County watering schedule. A user may irrigate established lawns and landscaping during only one (1) of the specified time periods on the allowable watering day.

Address Irrigation Day     Choose AM or PM Irrigation (not both)

Address that ends in 0 or 1          Monday               12 a.m. to 10 a.m.  or  4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Address that ends in 2 or 3          Tuesday               12 a.m. to 10 a.m. or  4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Address that ends in 4 or 5          Wednesday         12 a.m. to 10 a.m. or  4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Address that ends in 6 or 7          Thursday              12 a.m. to 10 a.m. or  4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Address that ends in 8 or 9 and locations with a mix of addresses, or for which an address cannot be determined (such as multi-family units and common areas associated with a subdivision)         Friday    12 a.m. to 10 a.m. or  4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Frequent hand washing uses very little water. Residents are encouraged to continue hand washing, following CDC guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For questions and additional information on watering restrictions, please phone 352-527-7669.