Watering days, one day a week for now.
St. Johns, Duval, Nassau and Clay have been under the water district’s Phase III Extreme Water Shortage order since May 11, 2026. Your watering day, the normal schedule it replaced, and what changes for new sod and reclaimed water.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
Right now: the drought order
I’m Krista Fracke, and if you own a lawn in Northeast Florida this year, this is the schedule your sprinklers run on. The St. Johns River Water Management District declared a Phase III Extreme Water Shortage on May 11, 2026, and it covers all of St. Johns, Duval, Nassau and Clay. Sprinklers run one day a week, never from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with no more than three-quarters of an inch and one hour per zone. It applies to city and county water, private utilities, wells and lakes alike.
| Property | Your one day |
|---|---|
| Home, odd address (ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9) or no address | Saturday |
| Home, even address (ends in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8) | Sunday |
| Nonresidential property | Tuesday |
From the district’s watering restrictions page and St. Johns County’s, checked October 24, 2026. The order has no end date; the district lifts it when water levels recover, so the district’s page is the final word on any given day.
The normal schedule, when the order lifts
The district’s standing rule follows the clock. Daylight saving time (second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November) allows two days a week; standard time allows one. No sprinklers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and no more than one hour and three-quarters of an inch per zone. From November through early March the normal days are the same days the order uses; the order’s longer daytime ban is what stays different.
| Property | Daylight saving time | Standard time |
|---|---|---|
| Homes with an odd address (or no address) | Wednesday and Saturday | Saturday |
| Homes with an even address | Thursday and Sunday | Sunday |
| Nonresidential property | Tuesday and Friday | Tuesday |
What the day limits don’t cover
- A hand-held hose with a shutoff nozzle, any day.
- Drip, bubbler and micro-spray irrigation, any day.
- New sod and plants get extra days. Under the order: every day for 15 days, up to three days a week for the next 30, then up to two days a week for 15. St. Johns County asks for proof of when the 30-day clock started.
- Watering in fertilizer or pest treatment within 24 hours of applying it, up to a quarter inch.
- Testing or repairing a system, up to 20 minutes per zone.
St. Johns County can cite a home for watering on the wrong day or hour, leaking systems, runoff into the street, and watering after a good rain (the county’s conservation page).
Reclaimed water: Nocatee, SilverLeaf and Twin Creeks
Some master-planned communities irrigate with reclaimed water on a separate line, and those homes follow their utility’s schedule instead of the address rule.
- Nocatee (both the St. Johns and Duval sides) gets reclaimed water from JEA, which assigns watering days by zone. Find yours on JEA’s Nocatee schedule; an address outside every zone follows the district’s rule.
- SilverLeaf and Twin Creeks get reclaimed water from St. Johns County, with days by address on the county’s SilverLeaf lookup. The county says a home on 100% reclaimed water is outside the one-day-a-week order, unless the water is blended with another source.
Where reclaimed water is available, the district does not authorize a private irrigation well. The reclaimed line is usually a cost on the community’s bills; the Nocatee and SilverLeaf fee pages show where it lands.
The part nobody tells you: the sprinklers come with the house
A Florida irrigation system is a set of rules as much as pipes. State law (Florida Statutes 373.62) requires a working rain shutoff on every automatic system, and the seller’s timer is set for the seller’s schedule, which may not be yours. On a showing I look at the controller, ask whether the home is on reclaimed or potable water, and find the rain sensor.
Lawns brown in a drought order, and HOA letters still go out. Florida Statutes 373.185 says a covenant can’t ban Florida-friendly landscaping or demand watering that conflicts with the district’s orders. If you plan to replace sod after closing, the new-planting allowance is what keeps it alive, so time the install and keep the receipt.
Homes for sale in Nocatee
On JEA's reclaimed water, scheduled by zone.
Homes for sale in SilverLeaf
On the county's reclaimed water, scheduled by address.
Homes for sale in St. Johns County
The newest listings, live from the MLS.
This is the work I do every week. Shopping for a home with a yard? I'll tell you what each one waters with, what its schedule is, and what the irrigation needs before you offer.
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Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
Common questions
What day can I water my lawn in St. Johns County?
Under the district's Phase III Extreme Water Shortage order (in force since May 11, 2026), one day a week: Saturday if your address is odd or you have none, Sunday if it is even, Tuesday for nonresidential property. No watering from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Duval, Nassau and Clay are under the same order.
Can I water my lawn every day with a hose?
Hand watering with a hose that has an automatic shutoff nozzle is allowed on any day, and so are drip and micro-spray systems. The day-of-week limits are for sprinkler systems.
How often can I water new sod?
The shortage order tightened it. The district’s page gives every day for the first 15 days, up to three days a week for the next 30 days, then up to two days a week for 15 days. Some counties add their own proof rules; St. Johns County asks for proof of the installation date.
Do watering restrictions apply to reclaimed water?
It depends on the utility. St. Johns County says homes watering with 100% reclaimed water are outside the one-day-a-week schedule, unless the reclaimed water is blended with another source. SilverLeaf and Twin Creeks have their own county reclaimed schedules, and Nocatee runs on JEA’s zone schedule; each has an address lookup.
Is a rain sensor required on a Florida sprinkler system?
Yes. Florida Statutes 373.62 requires anyone who installs an automatic sprinkler system to install and maintain technology that stops it when there has been enough rain, and a contractor working on a system has to test that device and fix it if it does not work.
Can my HOA make me water more than the restrictions allow?
No. Florida Statutes 373.185 says a deed restriction or covenant may not prohibit Florida-friendly landscaping, and may not require anything that conflicts with the district’s water rules or orders.
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Tell me the neighborhood. I’ll send the homes and tell you how each one is watered.