Key West Water Restrictions 2026
Monroe County · Florida
Published:
Year-Round Conservation (FKAA); Drought Warning Rescinded March 2026
No assigned schedule
Voluntary conservation
Irrigate in the early morning or evening; avoid the midday heat to limit evaporation
Allowed Hours
No fines
Voluntary, no penalties
Find Your Watering Day
This city assigns watering days by property location, not by address digit. Find your assigned days in the table below.
Watering schedule by property location
| Property Location | Watering Day |
|---|---|
| All addresses | FKAA year-round landscape irrigation guidance applies; confirm your current assigned schedule at fkaa.com |
Allowed Watering Hours
The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority maintains year-round landscape irrigation guidance for Monroe County, generally limiting lawn watering to about two days per week and to the cooler parts of the day. The South Florida Water Management District issued a water shortage warning for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties on February 5, 2026, and rescinded it on March 30, 2026, after March storms recharged the Biscayne Aquifer. Because FKAA periodically updates its schedule, confirm the current watering days and hours at fkaa.com before adjusting your irrigation system.
Still Allowed
💧 Hand Watering
Allowed with shut-off nozzle. Hours: Hand watering with a shut-off nozzle is allowed; FKAA still encourages watering outside the midday heat.
🌿 Drip Irrigation
Exempt from day-of-week limits. Must follow allowed hours.
Fines & Enforcement
Enforced by Monroe County and municipal code enforcement; confirm current penalties with FKAA
Outdoor watering rules in the Keys are enforced through county and municipal code enforcement. Specific penalty amounts are not published in a single schedule; contact FKAA at 305-296-2454 to confirm current enforcement before assuming a figure.
🏠 HOA Rules During Restrictions
Florida law limits the ability of HOAs to penalize residents for following water restrictions or for installing Florida-Friendly landscaping. In the Keys, salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant plantings are both practical and protected.
If your homeowners association sends a violation notice for a dormant or brown lawn during the current restriction period, respond in writing citing the applicable law and include a copy of the current restriction order from Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. Most HOAs will rescind the notice once they are made aware of the legal protections in place. If the issue persists, contact your county’s code enforcement division for assistance.
Why These Restrictions Exist
Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys are served by the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, a regional utility unlike any mainland Florida water provider. FKAA produces almost no fresh water locally. Roughly 90 percent of the Keys' drinking water is drawn from the Biscayne Aquifer at well fields in southern Miami-Dade County and piped about 130 miles down US-1 to the islands. Reverse-osmosis desalination plants at Stock Island, near Key West, and in Marathon provide emergency backup if the pipeline is disrupted.
That structure makes the Keys uniquely dependent on a single pipeline and on mainland groundwater. A hurricane strike, a main break, or a drought in southern Miami-Dade can all affect supply far from Key West itself. For that reason FKAA promotes year-round conservation rather than treating restrictions as a drought-only measure.
In early 2026 the South Florida Water Management District, whose jurisdiction includes Monroe County, issued a water shortage warning for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties on February 5. Heavy March rainfall recharged the Biscayne Aquifer, and the District rescinded the warning on March 30, 2026. South Florida remains in its dry season, so FKAA continues to ask Keys residents to use water efficiently year-round.
This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Key West area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are below seasonal targets, prompting regional voluntary conservation guidance.
How to Keep Your Lawn Alive During Key West Water Restrictions
9 tips tailored for Key West homeowners during Year-Round Conservation (FKAA); Drought Warning Rescinded March 2026 restrictions.
Key West gets almost all of its water through a single 130-mile pipeline from the mainland; year-round conservation is a resilience measure, not just a drought response.
Most Key West lawns are salt-tolerant warm-season grasses; water deeply and infrequently to build roots that handle the islands' heat and wind.
Irrigate in the early morning or evening; the Keys' strong sun and sea breeze evaporate a large share of any midday watering.
Confirm FKAA's current watering schedule at fkaa.com, since the authority updates its year-round irrigation guidance periodically.
Switch flower beds and container plants to drip irrigation, which uses far less water than spray heads in a windy coastal setting.
Choose Florida-Friendly and salt-tolerant plants suited to the Keys, which need little irrigation once established.
Capture rainwater from roofs during the wet season for hand watering; the Keys have no natural fresh surface water to fall back on.
Check for leaks regularly; a hidden leak in the Keys wastes water that traveled 130 miles by pipeline to reach your home.
Keep an eye on FKAA's alert center during hurricane season, when pipeline disruptions can shift the islands onto reverse-osmosis backup supply.
Key West Water Restriction FAQs
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Why does Key West push conservation even when there is no drought warning?
What happens if the mainland pipeline is cut off?
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