--- title: "Rinsing Pet Turf Under Drought Rules | TIMELESS Grass & Greens" description: "Denver Water's Stage 1 rules and northeast Florida's Phase III order never name pet turf. What they say about hard surfaces and waste, and what to ask." url: https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/ updated: 2026-09-12 --- Pets # Can you rinse pet turf during watering restrictions? * * * Updated 2026-09-12 The short answer ## Can you rinse pet turf during watering restrictions? No rule answers that by name. Neither Denver Water's Stage 1 drought rules nor the St. Johns River Water Management District's Phase III order mentions artificial turf or pet areas. Both ban wasteful water use, and both expect cleaning without water to come first. Pick up waste, rinse only the spots your dog uses with a shut-off nozzle, keep water off pavement, and ask your provider in writing. 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=Pet%20turf) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. On this page On this page 1. [The short answer, provider by provider](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#the-short-answer-provider-by-provider) 2. [Why a turf rinse falls between the rules](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#why-a-turf-rinse-falls-between-the-rules) 3. [Denver Water’s Stage 1 rules](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#denver-waters-stage-1-rules) 4. [Northeast Florida’s Phase III order](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#northeast-floridas-phase-iii-order) 5. [A rinse routine that fits the rules](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#a-rinse-routine-that-fits-the-rules) 6. [What to ask your water provider](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#what-to-ask-your-water-provider) 7. [Planning a dog area that needs less water](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#planning-a-dog-area-that-needs-less-water) 8. [Before your next rinse](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/rinsing-pet-turf-during-watering-restrictions/#before-your-next-rinse) ## The short answer, provider by provider - **Denver Water:** its Stage 1 drought rules never mention artificial turf. The closest rules cover power washing hard surfaces and wasting water. - **Northeast Florida:** the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Phase III order doesn’t mention it either. It bans wasteful use and limits washing hard surfaces to necessary maintenance. - **Both:** clean without water first, use only what the job needs, and keep it off the pavement. This is a summary of the published rules, not legal advice. Your water provider decides how its rules apply to your yard. ## Why a turf rinse falls between the rules Watering rules are written for plants. Artificial turf isn’t a plant, so a rinse doesn’t fit neatly into any one rule. - **It isn’t clearly watering.** Denver Water lets you use a hand-held hose on any day, outside 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but only for trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vegetables (Operating Rules 15.03.1). Florida’s rule defines landscape irrigation as “the outside watering of plants” (Chapter 40C-21, F.A.C.). - **It isn’t clearly a hard surface.** Denver’s examples of outdoor impervious surfaces are sidewalks, driveways and patios. Florida’s are structures, driveways and sidewalks. Turf that drains through its backing is none of those, and no rule says where it does fit. - **It is covered by the waste rules.** Both providers ban wasteful use, whatever the water is for. The same question comes up in stormwater codes, where the answer also depends on the rule you’re reading. Our [guide to whether turf counts as impervious](https://www.timelessgrass.com/guides/is-artificial-turf-impervious/) covers that side. Until your provider answers, the cautious plan is to meet the strictest rule that could apply. That means your assigned day, the cooler hours, and the least water that does the job. ## Denver Water’s Stage 1 rules Denver Water’s board declared a Stage 1 drought on 25 March 2026. The declaration runs through 30 April 2027, or until further notice (board resolution). Under it, according to Denver Water’s summer watering rules: - **Watering days:** two a week. Even-numbered addresses water Sunday and Thursday. Odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and Saturday. - **Watering hours:** before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. - **Power washing:** residential power washing is allowed “only on your assigned watering day, unless there is an immediate health or safety need.” Cleaning without water should be done first whenever possible. - **Hoses:** use a nozzle with a shut-off valve when you hand-water. - **End of season:** Denver Water has declared an end to lawn watering season, prohibiting lawn watering and all spray irrigation after 30 September. The page doesn’t say which day power washing moves to after that, so ask. The year-round waste rule matters just as much. Drought or not, Rule 14.01.1 of Denver Water’s Operating Rules counts these as water waste: - using water instead of a broom or mop to clean outdoor impervious surfaces, unless water is needed for public health or safety, or other cleaning methods are impractical; - letting water pool or flow across the ground, or into gutters, streets, alleys or storm drains. During a drought response, waste can be treated as a drought violation (Rule 14.07.1). The summer rules page lists a warning first, then fines that rise with each repeat. Denver Water’s rules also govern the areas it supplies through distributors, and those distributors can add rules of their own that don’t conflict (Rule 15.01.1). If your water bill comes from a different utility, read that utility’s rules instead. ## Northeast Florida’s Phase III order The St. Johns River Water Management District declared a Phase III Extreme Water Shortage in May 2026 (Water Shortage Order 2026-017). It covers all of Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties, and every source of water, private wells included. Clay County Utility Authority posted it as in effect on 14 May 2026. The district’s watering restrictions page still listed it as in effect on 12 September 2026. What the order says that bears on a turf rinse: - **Watering:** one day a week. Odd or no address, Saturday. Even address, Sunday. Never between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. - **Waste:** banned in every phase. That includes water used “without any practical purpose,” in “a grossly inefficient manner,” or for a job that “can be readily accomplished through alternative methods of significantly less water use.” - **Aesthetic uses:** prohibited. The rule’s examples of aesthetic use are ornamental ones, such as fountains and waterfalls. - **Hard surfaces:** pressure or soft washing driveways, sidewalks and other impervious surfaces is allowed only for necessary maintenance. The example given is removing mold, mildew and other potentially hazardous materials that a broom or leaf blower can’t. Meeting HOA or other aesthetic standards doesn’t count. One exemption is worth asking about. The order’s restrictions don’t apply to domestic use, which [Fla. Stat. 373.019](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0373/Sections/0373.019.html) defines as water for “individual personal household purposes of drinking, bathing, cooking, or sanitation.” Neither the order nor the statute says whether rinsing a dog area outdoors counts. The district can tell you. ## A rinse routine that fits the rules The aim is less water, aimed better. The steps that use no water come first. 1. **Pick up solid waste every day.** That’s cleaning without water, the kind both sets of rules point to first. Our [pet turf cleaning guide](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/how-to-clean-pet-turf/) covers the daily routine. 2. **Rinse only where your dog goes.** Treat the favorite corner or the strip by the gate, not the whole lawn. 3. **Use a hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle.** It stops the flow between spots, and it’s what Denver Water asks for when you hand-water. 4. **Keep the water on the turf.** Stop before it runs onto the patio, the driveway or the gutter. Denver counts that runoff as waste. 5. **Choose your day and hour.** In Denver, your assigned watering day, before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. After 30 September, ask Denver Water which day applies. In northeast Florida, your watering day, before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. That meets the strictest reading of either set of rules. 6. **Note the reason for any extra rinse.** Denver’s rules make room for an immediate health or safety need. Florida’s allow washing off potentially hazardous material a broom can’t remove. Neither names pet waste, so ask before you rely on either. ## What to ask your water provider Ask in writing, and keep the answer. Put the questions plainly: - Does rinsing artificial turf with a hand-held hose count as watering, washing a hard surface, or something else? - Which days and hours apply to it? - Does rinsing urine or waste from a pet area count as a health or safety need in Denver, or as domestic sanitation in Florida? - Is a hose with a shut-off nozzle acceptable, or should the job be done with a bucket or without water? - In Florida, what should I do if my HOA’s standards seem to conflict with the order? The order says no HOA or property manager shall enforce community standards that would cause a violation. In the Denver metro, those questions go to Denver Water or the distributor named on your bill. In northeast Florida, they go to the water management district. The order also gives city and county officials, including sheriffs and police officers, authority to enforce it. ## Planning a dog area that needs less water If you’re still planning the yard, the layout can shrink the rinse. On the free visit we measure the space and check the ground. The custom layout you approve can put the dog area within easy reach of a hose, with somewhere for rinse water to go other than the patio. Our [pet turf page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/pet-turf/) covers how we plan those areas. ## Before your next rinse - Check the name on your water bill and read that provider’s current rules. - Pick up solid waste first. - Rinse only the spots your dog uses, with a shut-off nozzle. - Stop before water reaches pavement or the gutter. - Rinse on your watering day, outside the restricted hours. - Ask your provider in writing how it treats a pet-turf rinse, and keep the reply. ## Common questions ### Does rinsing artificial turf count as watering? Not clearly. Denver Water lets you use a hand-held hose on any day for trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vegetables (Operating Rules 15.03.1). Florida's water shortage rule defines landscape irrigation as the outside watering of plants (Chapter 40C-21). Synthetic turf is not a plant, so neither allowance plainly covers it. Ask your provider how it classifies a rinse. ### Is a garden hose rinse pressure washing under the Florida order? The rule describes heavier equipment. Rule 40C-21.051 defines pressure washing as cleaning with pressurized water, using equipment with a self-canceling or automatic nozzle, at least 1,000 p.s.i. and no more than five gallons a minute. A hose rinse is not described there, but the order's ban on wasteful use is written to apply regardless of the type of water use. ### Can I rinse pet turf on a day that is not my Denver watering day? The rules do not say for turf. Residential power washing of hard surfaces is allowed only on your assigned watering day unless there is an immediate health or safety need, and cleaning without water should come first (Denver Water). Until Denver Water tells you otherwise, rinsing on your assigned day, before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m., meets the strictest reading. ### My Florida HOA wants the dog area kept clean. Does that override the order? Not on the order's own terms. The Phase III order says no person or entity, such as a homeowners association or property manager, shall enforce deed restrictions or community standards that would cause a violation of it. If a notice conflicts with the watering rules, send both to the district and ask for its answer in writing. ## Related turf questions - [How should you choose infill for a dog run?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/what-infill-works-best-for-dogs/) - [Why does pet turf keep smelling after it is rinsed?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/why-does-artificial-turf-smell-like-dog-pee/) - [Will artificial turf help a dog with grass allergies?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/artificial-turf-for-a-dog-with-grass-allergies/) ## Where to go next - [Pet turf](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/pet-turf/) - [Turf in Denver Metro](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/) - [Turf in Northeast Florida](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/) - [Denver-Metro Water Rebates and Artificial Turf: Which Providers Actually Pay](https://www.timelessgrass.com/guides/colorado-water-rebates-and-turf/) - [Does artificial turf count as an impervious surface?](https://www.timelessgrass.com/guides/is-artificial-turf-impervious/) 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.