As you set your clocks ahead, take some time to adjust sprinkler timers and test smoke alarms
It's that time of the year again. Daylight savings time begins at 2 a.m. - Sunday when clocks spring forward one hour to 3 a.m. Hillsborough County residents are reminded to reset sprinkler system timers and test home safety devices.
Homes and businesses with automatic sprinkler systems should check timers to avoid risking fines for watering at the wrong time. It's also important to check if irrigation timers have back-up batteries that need changed.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board voted to declare a Modified Phase II "Severe" Water Shortage due to dry conditions across the region. All Hillsborough County residents are to follow one-day-per-week watering restrictions in unincorporated areas.
The restrictions are in effect from Feb. 8 through July 1, 2026, so it's important to know your watering days.
If your address ends in:
- 0 or 1, water only on Mondays
- 2 or 3, water only on Tuesdays
- 4 or 5, water only on Wednesdays
- 6 or 7, water only on Thursdays
- 7 or 8, water only on Fridays
- Common areas with or without street addresses, locations with no address, and locations with mixed addresses (such as complexes and shopping centers) can only water on Fridays
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) also reminds residents to test and change batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors to protect their family and home.
If you live in unincorporated Hillsborough County and do not have working smoke alarms, HCFR will install smoke alarms for you at no cost.
Interested residents can apply here.