The City of Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division (EQD) helps residents protect local waterways, conserve water, and maintain healthy landscapes by following responsible irrigation and fertilizer practices. The resources below include brochures, helpful links, and ordinance information to support safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly yard care.

Irrigation

Jacksonville follows year-round irrigation rules designed to conserve water and protect the St. Johns River. 

Landscape Irrigation Schedule:

Daylight Savings Time (second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November)

• Do not water between 10 am & 4 pm
• Odd # addresses or no address – Water on Wednesday and Saturday
• Even # addresses – Water on Thursday and Sunday
• Non-residential – Water on Tuesday and Friday.
• No more than ¾ inch of water or one hour per zone per irrigation day.

 Eastern Standard Time (first Sunday in November to second Sunday in March)

• Do not water between 10 am & 4 pm
• Odd # addresses or no address – Water on Saturday only
• Even # addresses – Water on Sunday only
• Non-residential – Water on Tuesday only.
• No more than ¾ inch of water or one hour per zone per irrigation day.

• The use of micro-irrigation is allowed at any time provided water use is limited to only what is needed.
• Irrigation for new landscapes is allowed at any time of the day for the initial 30 days and every other day for the following 30 days for a total of 60 days. (keep receipt of purchase or any other proof, if requested by EQD)
• Watering in of chicals, including insecticides, pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, etc. is allowed within 24 hours of the application and cannot exceed ¼ inch of water or the limited allowed on the label.
• Irrigation systems may run at any time during the day for maintenance and repair up to 20 minutes per hour per zone.
• Discharge of water from a water-to-air air conditioning unit or other water dependent cooling system is not limited.
• The use of water from a reclaimed system, which may be supplemented from other sources during peak times, is allowed any day of the week except between 10 am and 4 pm.
• Recycled Water from wet detention treatment ponds for irrigation is allowed any day of the week, but not between 10 am and 4 pm, provided the ponds are not augmented from any ground or offsite surface water or public supply source.

Reclaimed Water, Private Wells, and Automatic Systems

• Private wells are not permitted for landscape irrigation if reclaimed water is available.
• Reclaimed water may be used to water edible fruits and vegetables that will be peeled, skinned, or thermally processed.
• Indirect application of reclaimed water, such as through drip irrigation where no contact to fruit is made is also acceptable.
• Automatic irrigation systems installed after 1991 must include a functional rain sensor device or switch to override the system when  adequate rainfall has occurred.

Variance from Specific Day of the Week Watering

The Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board (JEPB) may grant a variance from the required irrigation schedule if:

• Strict application of the schedule would lead to unreasonable or unfair results, provided that the applicant demonstrates that the schedule will cause substantial economic, health, or other hardship.
• Contiguous properties may be divided into different zones.  A variance may be granted so that zones are watered on different days.  However, no single zone may be irrigated more than two (2) days per week.

More information and forms for variances may be found at https://www.jacksonville.gov/EPB

Fertilizer

The Environmental is everyone’s responsibility!  Proper fertilizer use helps prevent excess nutrients from entering the St. Johns River and its tributaries.  The City’s Fertilizer Ordinance affects fertilizer applications to turf, specialty turf, and landscape plants made by homeowners & business in the green industry.

Select Florida-Friendly Fertilizer

Choose a fertilizer that has equal or near equal amounts of nitrogen (first number) and potassium (third number).  Phosphorus (second number) should be 2 or less.

Use fertilizers with 30% or more slow release nitrogen (SRN).  There is less potential of runoff or leaching.  To calculate the % of SRN, find the amount of SRN on the label, divide that amount by the total nitrogen and multiply by 100.

Fertilizer Spreaders

A drop spreader or rotary spreader may be used to apply fertilizers.  But, if a rotary spreader is used, a deflector shield is required and should be positioned so that granular fertilizers are not applied to hard surfaces or ‘no treat zones.’

Fertilizer Application Rules and Rates:

• Do not apply fertilizer during prohibited periods:
  1. Flood Watch or Warnings
  2. Tropical Storm Watch or Warnings
  3. 3-day cone of uncertainty during a hurricane
  4. When heavy rain is expected
• Fertilizer with 30% slow release nitrogen or more can be applied at no more than 1 lb. N/1000 sq ft per application.
• Fertilizer with less than 30% slow release nitrogen can be applied at no more than 0.70 lbs. N/1000 sq ft per application.
• After application, apply 1/4” water to prevent fertilizer loss.

Phosphate Applications:

• Phosphate applications cannot exceed 0.25 lbs P2O5/1000 sq ft 2 per application or 0.50 lbs P2O5/1000 sq ft 2 per year.
• Includes turf and landscape plants
• A soil test must be completed by UF or an accredited lab for higher rates to be applied.
• A one-time application of starter fertilizer may be used for new turf or landscape plants, but should not exceed 1.0 lb P2O5/1000 sq ft.

Impervious Surfaces:

• Fertilizer applied, spilled, or deposited on impervious surfaces (roads, sidewalks, etc.) should be cleaned up immediately and applied to a legal site or returned to its container.
• Do not wash, sweep, or blow fertilizer into storm drains, ditches, conveyances, or water bodies.

Fertilizer Free Zones/No Treat Zones

• A 10’ zone is required around water bodies, wetlands, canals, seawalls, etc. if no deflector shield is used on rotary or cyclone spreaders.
• A 3’ zone around water bodies, wetlands, canals, seawalls, etc. is required if a deflector shield or drop spreader is used.
• New Plants in this zone may be fertilized for the first 60 days only.

Low Maintenance Zones

• Minimum of a 6’ low maintenance zone from any pond, stream, water course, wetland, or seawall.
• A swale/berm system is recommended.
• No mowed or cut vegetation material shall be deposited or left remaining in the Low Maintenance Zone or deposited in the water.
• Care should be taken to prevent over-spraying aquatic weed products in this area.

 Grass Clippings

**DO NOT wash, sweep, or blow grass clippings, vegetative material or debris into storm water drains, ditches, conveyances, water bodies, wetlands, sidewalks or roadways.**

Ordinances

Florida Friendly Landscaping

Florida Yards and Neighborhoods, a University of Florida Extension program,  partners with national, state and local agencies to teach Florida-friendly landscaping. The program provides educational outreach opportunities to homeowners, landscaping professionals, builders and developers on low maintenance plants and environmentally sustainable practices to enhance landscapes while saving money, time and energy. To learn more or register visit http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/ or call (904) 387-8850.

The implementation of fertilizer and irrigation regulations and best practices is just one part of a comprehensive approach to improving the health of the St. Johns. Work is underway to remove failing septic tanks in Duval County. The Jacksonville Stormwater Utility is a dedicated funding source for reducing the amount of rainwater that flows into the river after storms. Efforts to minimize sedimentation, more efficiently treat wastewater and increase public access to the river are also in progress.