--- title: "Florida High School Turf Field Heat Rules | TIMELESS Grass & Greens" description: "Florida law has the FHSAA set heat-stress levels and cooling zones for member schools. Plan tubs, water, shade and irrigation with your turf field." url: https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/ updated: 2026-09-12 --- Commercial and sports # Heat rules for Florida high school practices on turf fields * * * Updated 2026-09-12 The short answer ## What heat rules apply to Florida high school practices on turf fields? Section 1006.165 has the FHSAA set heat-stress guidelines that member schools must follow year-round, measured at the field from temperature, humidity, wind, sun angle and cloud cover. Schools must modify or move activity to match, and at set levels provide a cooling zone with cold-water immersion tubs, or an equivalent, and a trained person. The law doesn't name the surface, but turf can run far hotter than grass in sun, and watering cools it only for a while. Planning a turf installation? Get a layout, turf options and a written quote for your space. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/?use=Commercial%20or%20sports%20field) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. [Jump to the checklist](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#checklist-for-a-florida-school-turf-field) On this page On this page 1. [What section 1006.165 requires](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#what-section-1006165-requires) 2. [The reading is taken at the field, and the turf isn’t in it](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#the-reading-is-taken-at-the-field-and-the-turf-isnt-in-it) 3. [Turf adds heat underfoot](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#turf-adds-heat-underfoot) 4. [What Penn State found about cooling a field with water](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#what-penn-state-found-about-cooling-a-field-with-water) 5. [Put the cooling zone on the site plan](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#put-the-cooling-zone-on-the-site-plan) 6. [Plan somewhere to move practice](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#plan-somewhere-to-move-practice) 7. [Checklist for a Florida school turf field](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/florida-high-school-field-heat-rules/#checklist-for-a-florida-school-turf-field) ## What section 1006.165 requires Florida doesn’t write heat limits into the statute itself. [Section 1006.165](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1006.165) gives that job to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), then puts duties on its member schools. The FHSAA must: 1. **Train.** Make training and resources on heat-stress monitoring available to every member school. 2. **Set levels.** Publish guidelines for monitoring heat stress, and the levels at which a school must make a cooling zone available for each outdoor contest, practice, workout or conditioning session. 3. **Require action.** Have member schools monitor heat stress and change activities to match, including suspending or moving them. 4. **Cover hydration.** Set hydration guidelines, including electrolytes after long sessions or several activities in one day. 5. **Define the cooling zone.** At a minimum, cold-water immersion tubs or an equivalent way to rapidly cool a student showing signs of exertional heat stroke must be immediately available, with an employee or volunteer trained to use them. 6. **Plan the emergency.** Each school’s emergency action plan must include cooling on site before a student with exertional heat stroke is taken to hospital. These duties apply year-round. Every coach and sponsor of outdoor practices or events must also complete heat illness training each year. The same heat paragraph already appears in the [2020 edition](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2020/1006.165) of the statutes. The statute leaves the numbers to the FHSAA, and those can change. Get the current guidelines from your athletic director or the FHSAA. How they apply to your school is a question for your counsel. ## The reading is taken at the field, and the turf isn’t in it The law says heat stress is measured from five things at the site of the activity: ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover. The [Korey Stringer Institute](https://koreystringer.institute.uconn.edu/wet-bulb-globe-temperature-monitoring/) at the University of Connecticut describes a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) device in similar terms. It combines air temperature, humidity, wind and solar radiation into one number used to adjust practice, and the institute says heat guidelines must be specific to the region. The institute’s [Florida policy page](https://koreystringer.institute.uconn.edu/florida-school-sport-safety/), checked 12 September 2026, marks Florida’s heat policy as WBGT-based, and as mentioning a shaded area for rest breaks. Two planning points follow: - **Decide where the device sits.** The statute says the site of the activity. If the team plays on the turf, a reading from a shaded walkway or the grass field next door describes somewhere else. Ask your athletic trainer where it will go. - **Know what’s missing.** None of the five factors is the temperature of the playing surface. ## Turf adds heat underfoot That missing number can be large. In [Penn State’s plot trials](https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/documents/temperature-irrigation.pdf), one synthetic system measured 71.5°C (161°F) at the surface on 3 August 2004, while the air about a metre above it read 30.6°C (87°F). Across the systems tested, the researchers found few meaningful differences in air temperature at that height. The paper cites earlier work concluding that heat moving from the surface into the sole of an athlete’s foot can add to physiological stress. The [Connecticut Department of Public Health](https://portal.ct.gov/dph/environmental-health/environmental-and-occupational-health-assessment/artificial-turf-fields) notes that crumb rubber absorbs heat, and advises players on turf to take added precautions against heat exhaustion, such as more frequent rest breaks and more fluids. Our article on [how hot turf gets](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/how-hot-does-artificial-turf-get/) covers surface temperatures in more detail. ## What Penn State found about cooling a field with water Watering is the obvious fix. The Penn State researchers tested it on turf plots at University Park, Pennsylvania, between 2003 and 2006, putting down about 2 cm of water by hand. - **It works at first.** Water significantly lowered the surface temperature of every system tested. - **It fades.** Temperatures rebounded somewhat after 15 minutes. The authors write that the lowest temperatures couldn’t be held for the length of a standard sporting event. - **Some benefit lingers.** On 2 June 2005, watered plots were still an average of 14 degrees cooler than unwatered plots 200 minutes later. - **Watering early doesn’t carry.** Watering before dawn, with or without a tarp, had little effect on the afternoon surface temperature. - **Clay in the infill didn’t help.** Mixing 20% calcined clay into the rubber infill to hold more water didn’t lower surface temperature. The authors conclude that the cooling benefit will vary with conditions. They say athletic associations should weigh the cost of an irrigation system against how far it lowers surface temperature before installing one. They also list other uses for field irrigation, such as brooming the surface wet and washing in wetting agents. The trials ran in central Pennsylvania, where the paper notes clear bright days are rare. Treat the pattern as a guide, not a forecast for a Florida field. ## Put the cooling zone on the site plan A cooling zone needs space, water and a clear path. The Korey Stringer Institute’s [exertional heat stroke guidance](https://koreystringer.institute.uconn.edu/heat-stroke/) calls for cooling the athlete within 30 minutes by whole-body ice-water immersion, and for calling 911 once cooling has started. It reports a 100% survival rate when immediate cooling began within 10 minutes of collapse. Its equipment list includes a tub or kiddy pool, a cooler with ice, a water source, towels and a tent for shade. Those turn into layout questions: - **Where does the tub go?** Close enough to reach from the sideline fast, on firm, level ground beside the field. - **Where does the water come from?** A tub has to be filled, and ice kept close by. - **Where’s the shade?** The institute’s fallback, when immersion isn’t possible, is a shaded, cool area with rotating cold, wet towels. - **How does an ambulance reach it?** The emergency plan cools on site first, so the crew needs a route to the cooling zone. - **Where does the AED go?** At a public member school, the same section requires a working defibrillator in a clearly marked, publicized location for every contest, practice, workout and conditioning session. - **Is field irrigation worth it?** Decide using the Penn State findings, not as a heat plan on its own. Florida’s stormwater and bid rules for fields are on our [northeast Florida sports field page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/sports-field-turf/). ## Plan somewhere to move practice The statute expects schools to suspend or move activities when heat stress calls for it. So a field plan needs a fallback: a gym, a shaded area or a later time slot. The institute’s prevention advice is to avoid the hottest part of the day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for conditioning. Early morning isn’t automatically safe, though. Its WBGT page reports that over half of the reported exertional heat stroke deaths in American football happened during morning practices when humidity was high. Check the reading at the field before and during each session, rather than relying on the time of day. ## Checklist for a Florida school turf field 1. **Get the FHSAA’s current heat guidelines** and cooling zone requirements from your athletic director. 2. **Confirm FHSAA membership,** and ask your counsel how section 1006.165 applies to your school. 3. **Choose where the WBGT device sits,** on the part of the site where the team plays. 4. **Mark the cooling zone on the drawings:** tub, ice, water source and shade. 5. **Map two routes:** sideline to tub, and gate to tub for an ambulance. 6. **Place the AED** in a clearly marked spot, and register its location with the local EMS medical director. 7. **Decide on irrigation** for what it does well, knowing its cooling fades. 8. **Name a place to move practice** when the reading says stop. On a free visit we measure the site and check the ground, then draw a custom layout you approve, with the cooling zone marked on it. Our [sports field turf page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/sports-field-turf/) covers field options. ## Common questions ### Does the playing surface change Florida's heat-stress reading? Not under the statute. [Section 1006.165](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1006.165) says heat stress is measured from ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover at the site of the activity. The surface isn't on that list, even though turf can be far hotter than the air above it. Ask your athletic trainer where the device will sit. ### Do the cooling zone duties cover private schools? The heat duties are written for FHSAA member schools, and that part of the statute doesn't limit them to public schools. Its defibrillator requirement does name public member schools. Ask your athletic director or the FHSAA whether your school is a member, and your district's or school's counsel how the rules apply. ### Should a turf field have irrigation for cooling? Weigh it first. In [Penn State's trials](https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/documents/temperature-irrigation.pdf), water lowered surface temperature quickly, but the lowest readings didn't last as long as a standard game, and watering before dawn did little by afternoon. The authors say athletic associations should compare the system's cost with the size of the temperature drop before installing one. ### Do Florida's school heat rules apply outside summer? Yes. The statute says the heat requirements apply year-round. That covers every outdoor contest, practice, workout and conditioning session, whatever the month. ## Related turf questions - [When should a synthetic sports field be replaced?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/how-long-does-a-turf-field-last/) - [Indoor turf for a gym: fire rules and air quality](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/indoor-turf-for-a-gym/) - [Is artificial turf wheelchair accessible?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/is-artificial-turf-wheelchair-accessible/) ## Where to go next - [Sports field turf](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/sports-field-turf/) - [Turf in Northeast Florida](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/) Useful links - [Fla. Stat. 1006.165 (2025): well-being of students participating in extracurricular activities](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/1006.165) - [McNitt, Petrunak & Serensits, Penn State University: temperature amelioration of synthetic turf surfaces through irrigation](https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/ssrc/documents/temperature-irrigation.pdf) - [Connecticut Department of Public Health: artificial turf fields](https://portal.ct.gov/dph/environmental-health/environmental-and-occupational-health-assessment/artificial-turf-fields) Free estimate ## Planning a turf installation? Tell us about the area you want to install or replace. We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. [Or call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) Your free estimate includes - A visit to measure your space - A custom layout, drawn for your space - Turf options, side by side - A written price, with no pressure to sign [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) Five short steps. We’ll call to arrange your visit.