SWFWMD Phase III water shortage restrictions are currently active across all of Polk and Hillsborough County. If you have not updated your irrigation controller since these restrictions were declared in late 2025, your system may be running on the wrong day, at the wrong time, or for the wrong duration — which means both a compliance risk and a watering program that is not designed for one day per week.

This guide explains what Phase III means, how to find your specific watering day, what the allowed hours are, and what most homeowners need to do to bring their systems into compliance.

What Is SWFWMD Phase III?

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) manages water resources for 16 counties in west-central Florida, including both Polk and Hillsborough. When aquifer levels or surface water supplies fall below defined thresholds, SWFWMD declares water shortage phases that restrict irrigation use.

Phase III is the third and most restrictive standard shortage declaration — one step below a Phase IV emergency order. Phase III limits residential landscape irrigation to one day per week, as opposed to Phase I (three days) and Phase II (two days).

What changes under Phase III:

• Irrigation limited to one day per week — down from two days under Phase II
• Watering must occur within designated time windows only (no midday irrigation)
• All irrigation sources are covered — city water, private wells, and lake-draw systems alike
• A functioning rain sensor is required for all automatic irrigation systems
• Violations can result in formal warnings and fines

Finding Your Watering Day

Your designated watering day is determined by the last digit of your property’s street address number — not your zip code, not your city, not your phone number. Look at the street number on your home or mailbox and use the last digit.

For example: If your address is 4217 Oak Street, the last digit is 7. Locate 7 in the appropriate county table below.

Polk County Phase III Schedule

Last Digit of Address	Designated Day	Allowed Hours
0 or 1	Thursday	Before 10am or after 4pm
2	Wednesday	Before 10am or after 4pm
3 or 4	Saturday	Before 10am or after 4pm
5 or 6	Tuesday	Before 10am or after 4pm
7	Friday	Before 10am or after 4pm
8 or 9	Sunday	Before 10am or after 4pm

Hillsborough County Phase III Schedule

Last Digit of Address	Designated Day	Allowed Hours
0 or 8	Wednesday	Before 8am or after 6pm
1 or 7	Monday	Before 8am or after 6pm
2	Tuesday	Before 8am or after 6pm
3	Thursday	Before 8am or after 6pm
4 or 9	Friday	Before 8am or after 6pm
5	Saturday	Before 8am or after 6pm
6	Sunday	Before 8am or after 6pm

City of Lakeland Special Rule: Lakeland maintains its own permanent year-round 2-day-per-week irrigation schedule, which is separate from and independent of SWFWMD Phase III. Lakeland homeowners must follow the city schedule. Verify your specific designated days at lakelandgov.net.

Updating Your Controller for Phase III

Most homeowners set their controller when the system was installed and have not touched the programming since. If your system has been running on a Phase I or Phase II schedule, here is what needs to change:

• Rain sensor — Verify your rain sensor is functional and that its bypass is not engaged
• Watering days — Remove all days except your single designated Phase III day
• Start times — Move all start times to before 10am (Polk) or before 8am (Hillsborough), or after the afternoon cutoff
• Run duration — Increase individual zone runtimes to compensate for the reduced frequency, while keeping total run time within SWFWMD guidelines

Cycle-and-Soak on a One-Day Schedule

Florida’s sandy soils — particularly in Polk County — cannot absorb a full irrigation cycle in one pass without runoff. On a one-day-per-week schedule, cycle-and-soak programming becomes critical. Rather than running each zone once for the full duration, split each zone into two or three shorter cycles with 30-60 minute rest periods between them.

Example: Instead of Zone 1 running for 20 minutes straight, program it to run 8 minutes at 5am, 8 minutes at 6am, and 4 minutes at 7am on your designated day. The total water is the same. The absorption is dramatically better.

Understanding Violations and Consequences

Phase III violations are enforced by SWFWMD and by local water utilities. Here is how enforcement typically works:

Offense	Typical Consequence
First violation	Written warning — no fine for first offense in most cases
Second violation	Fine of up to $500
Third or subsequent	Fine of up to $1,000 and potential flow restriction device on meter
Watering during rain	Violation regardless of designated day — rain sensor required
Watering outside time window	Violation regardless of correct day

Do Restrictions Apply to Wells and Lake-Draw Systems?

Yes. This is a common misconception. SWFWMD Phase III restrictions apply to all irrigation water sources — city and county utility water, private wells, and lake-draw pump systems. The restrictions are not about the source of the water; they are about the total aquifer impact across the region.

If your system draws from a private well or a lake or pond on your property, you are still subject to Phase III one-day-per-week restrictions and must follow the same day and time window requirements as utility-water systems.

How Goterra Handles Restrictions at Every Visit

Compliance with current SWFWMD restrictions is something Goterra verifies and updates at every service visit — no additional charge, no separate scheduling required. At every inspection and every repair visit, our technician reviews your controller’s programmed watering day, start times, and run duration against the current phase restrictions and updates any settings that are out of compliance.

If you have not had a service visit since Phase III was declared, and you are not certain your controller is correctly programmed, a free inspection is the fastest way to verify everything and get your system performing within the current schedule correctly.