Last verified: October 6, 2026, against Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Last updated: September 30, 2026
Sarasota’s 239-Minute Irrigation Window: Planning One Weekly Watering Day is a Gulf Coast decision guide for Sarasota property owners. It ties the next step to verified local water, soil, season and plant context while leaving uninspected conditions explicitly unresolved.
How long is the legal watering window in Sarasota?
For properties under one acre, Modified Phase III allows one of two windows on the assigned day: 12:01 to 4 a.m. or 8 to 11:59 p.m. Each one is 239 minutes long. That’s the time you’re allowed to water in, though, not a recommended runtime, so don’t program your zones just to fill it.
For properties under one acre, Modified Phase III allows one of two windows on the assigned day: 12:01–4 a.m. or 8–11:59 p.m. Each is 239 minutes, but that is an availability window—not a recommended irrigation runtime.
Which day can I water in Sarasota based on my address?
Your watering day follows the last digit of your address under the current district schedule. Digits 0 and 1 water Monday, 2 and 3 Tuesday, 4 and 5 Wednesday, 6 and 7 Thursday, and 8 and 9 Friday. Write the digit beside the controller program so the assigned day doesn’t get lost.
Address digits 0/1 use Monday, 2/3 Tuesday, 4/5 Wednesday, 6/7 Thursday and 8/9 Friday under the current district schedule. Record the digit beside the controller program.
Measure one application instead of filling the window
UF/IFAS guidance describes one-half to three-quarters inch per irrigation application for St. Augustinegrass. Use catch cans and soil response; never infer that the full legal window should be occupied.
Keep beds separate from lawn rules
Hand watering and microirrigation for beds, shrubs and non-lawn plants retain a separate allowance, currently limited to before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. under Modified Phase III.
What should I record when setting up a once-a-week irrigation schedule?
Start with the address digit, the assigned watering day and the single 239-minute window you’ve picked, if the property is under one acre. Keep the June-through-September fertilizer blackout on the same page. Where new sod or plants are involved, date day one of the 60-day establishment period and hold onto the written schedule.
Start the Sarasota record with the address digit, assigned watering day and the single 239-minute window selected for a property under one acre. If new sod or plants are involved, date day one of the 60-day establishment period and retain the written watering schedule. Photograph ponding, shade and fill changes, then take soil samples from the actual planting zones rather than blending native sand with imported material. Keep the June-through-September fertilizer blackout on the same page so establishment watering is not mistaken for permission to fertilize. For this irrigation page, circle the observation that would change the next decision and name who will verify it.
Preserve the assigned-day note, establishment dates, soil sample and drainage photographs as one Gulf Coast record before the temporary exception expires. For this irrigation decision, the current authority and photographed property condition control.
Move from the property walk to the written property planning scope by itemizing timing choices. Note the observed condition, selected response, measurable completion check, and any responsibility left outside this project.
From property walk to service details: guide for Property Planning
Move from the property walk to the written property planning scope by itemizing guide. Note the observed condition, selected response, measurable completion check, and any responsibility left outside this project.
Use the next Gulf Coast planning note
Move Your Sarasota Property Plan Forward
Share the drainage, planting, access, or outdoor-living issue you want to solve. Sarasota Greenscapes can review the property overview and prepare an estimate around that specific objective.