Tampa Bay Water Wise’s controller offer starts with current prequalification. It is not a reimbursement promise for equipment you independently buy first. The program describes potentially free installation of a qualifying irrigation controller and says eligibility is evaluated periodically. Controller program
Confirm the property and water account first
The program lists existing potable-water customers of Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Pinellas County, Pasco County and Hillsborough County. Its property requirements are a single-family detached home at least two years old, with an automatic in-ground sprinkler system using potable water. The program must identify the landscape as over-watered; high consumption alone is not approval. A home in one of these counties is not automatically served by an eligible utility. General requirements
Compare consumption with sprinkler condition
Before buying hardware or scheduling changes, assemble:
| Input | Why the program needs a precise answer |
|---|---|
| Water supply | The published use screen concerns potable water, not reclaimed irrigation water. |
| Consumption history | The page describes eligible customers using about 18,000 gallons or more per month on average, not one unusually large bill. |
| Existing sprinkler condition | The system must already be in good working order. |
Then use the program’s current prequalification route. Last year’s answer, a neighbor’s installation or a high summer bill does not settle this year’s eligibility. Keep the dated result and ask the program which step follows before committing to a purchase. Prequalification instructions
The installation handoff
After current prequalification and any needed sprinkler repairs, use the installer designated by the program’s current page. Its instructions call for a completed Customer Partnership Agreement and Sprinkler System Evaluation to give the installer. You must be present for installation and sign the General Release supplied at the visit. County Florida-Friendly Landscaping agents can help check the system, but the page explicitly says they do not perform repairs. Preparation and documentation
The same page includes generic customer-agreement language about rebate checks and purchases made within the preceding year. That wording does not establish that independently bought equipment qualifies for the advertised free-install route. Confirm which offer and terms apply before buying or hiring someone; keep the program’s response with the application.
Do not confuse equipment with the landscape award
Tampa Bay Water also runs a Community Water Wise landscape awards program. Its 2026 announcement gave a July 31 application deadline and described recognition and a custom steppingstone. It did not offer a general payment for replacing a lawn. 2026 awards announcement
Keep the program name in your project notes so that an award page cannot accidentally become the basis of a contractor’s rebate assumption.
A smart controller also does not override watering restrictions. The controller program expressly requires adherence to local restrictions. Ask about the actual installation, settings and owner responsibilities; neither this guide nor a prequalification result establishes a household’s water savings or a blanket right to irrigate.
Sources and method
LSL read the controller page’s eligibility, installation, documentation and customer-agreement sections and the April 1, 2026 awards announcement on September 21, 2026. The comparison separates the free-install handoff from generic rebate wording and the now-expired July 31 awards deadline. No application, installer availability, household savings, site condition or individual eligibility was verified.