Fertilizer Blackout Sarasota County: Complete Guide to Summer Restrictions (2026)

From June 1 through September 30, no one may apply fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus to lawns or landscape plants in unincorporated Sarasota County. The City of Sarasota and the City of Venice follow the same rules, Longboat Key has its own version, and North Port’s lawn blackout starts earlier, on April 1. Other rules apply all year, including a slow-release nitrogen requirement and a 10-foot no-fertilizer zone along water.

The rules come from the Sarasota County Fertilizer and Landscape Management Code (County Code Chapter 54, Article XXXII), adopted as Ordinance 2007-062 on August 27, 2007. It was one of Florida’s first summer fertilizer bans. Section numbers are included below if you want to check the source.

Want a quicker answer for today’s date? The fertilizer blackout checker covers Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte county cities in one lookup.

The summer blackout: June 1 to September 30

During the restricted season, no applicator may put fertilizer containing nitrogen and/or phosphorus on turf or landscape plants (Sec. 54-1025).

• Check the N-P-K numbers. In summer, the first two numbers on the bag must be zero. A 0-0-16 potassium product is fine; a 15-0-15 is not.
• Weed and feed counts as fertilizer. The code’s definition specifically includes pesticide and fertilizer mixes, so those are out for the summer too.
• Iron and micronutrient products without nitrogen or phosphorus are allowed, and they keep lawns green through the summer.
• Insect, weed, and disease control products aren’t fertilizer. The ordinance doesn’t restrict them unless they contain nitrogen or phosphorus.

Rules that apply all year

• Slow-release nitrogen. Fertilizer must contain at least 50% slow-release nitrogen, applied at the lowest rate necessary, and no more than 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per year (Sec. 54-1026). UF/IFAS’s summary of the local codes also caps each application at 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
• Phosphorus limits. No more than 0.25 pounds of phosphate (P₂O₅) per 1,000 square feet per application, and 0.5 pounds per year (Sec. 54-1026). Unlike Manatee County, Sarasota County doesn’t require a soil test to use phosphorus, but it does cap the amount.
• Stay 10 feet back from water. No fertilizer within 10 feet of any pond, stream, lake, canal, or wetland, or the top of a seawall. Newly planted turf and plants in that zone may be fertilized during their first 60 days (Sec. 54-1028).
• Keep it off hard surfaces. Don’t apply or spill fertilizer on driveways, sidewalks, or streets; clean up spills immediately, and never wash, sweep, or blow fertilizer into storm drains, ditches, or water (Sec. 54-1027).
• Use a deflector shield on broadcast spreaders to keep granules off hard surfaces, fertilizer-free zones, and water (Sec. 54-1030).
• Keep clippings out of drains and streets. Grass clippings and yard debris can’t be blown or washed into storm drains, ditches, water, or roadways (Sec. 54-1031).

The county also strongly recommends, but doesn’t require, a 6-foot low-maintenance zone along ponds, canals, and other water (Sec. 54-1029).

Where the rules apply: county vs. cities

The county code covers unincorporated Sarasota County, and cities can choose to adopt it (Sec. 54-1024). According to UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County:

• City of Sarasota and City of Venice: the same rules as the county, including the June 1 to September 30 blackout.
• Town of Longboat Key: a June 1 to September 30 blackout, with its own fertilizer-free zone rules along water.
• City of North Port: a longer restricted season, April 1 through September 30. North Port’s code bans nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on lawns during that period, while still allowing landscape plants to be fertilized within the content and rate limits. It also has its own buffer rules for water, wetlands, and swales.

If you’re not sure which rules cover your address, check with your city or the county before you fertilize.

Who has to follow it

Everyone who applies fertilizer, homeowners included. Professionals have extra requirements (Sec. 54-1033 and 54-1034):

• Every applicator except a homeowner working on their own property must complete a county-approved Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) training program.
• Commercial applicators need that training certificate before they can get a county business tax certificate, and new employees must be trained within 90 days, working under a trained applicator until then.
• Vehicles and trailers used to apply fertilizer must display a county decal.

State law adds its own layer: commercial fertilizer applicators must hold an FDACS license, which requires GI-BMP training. If you hire a lawn company, it’s fair to ask about both and to look for the decal.

Exemptions

The blackout and most of the other rules don’t apply to (Sec. 54-1032):

• Golf courses, which follow the state’s golf course best management practices instead. Managers of publicly owned athletic fields use the GI-BMP principles.
• Bona fide farm operations under Florida’s Right to Farm Act.
• Pastures used for grazing livestock, which are exempt from the slow-release nitrogen requirement.
• Newly installed turf and landscape plants, which are exempt from the blackout and the content and rate limits for their first 60 days.

The code regulates lawns and landscape plants (trees, shrubs, and groundcovers). Unlike Manatee County’s ordinance, it doesn’t list a separate exemption for compost or mulch.

Enforcement and penalties

Sarasota County code enforcement officers can inspect from public areas (or with the owner’s permission or a warrant), issue a warning notice, and then issue a citation (Sec. 54-1035). The civil penalty can be up to $500 per violation, set by county resolution, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. You can contest a citation in county court within 30 days. Willful or reckless violations can be prosecuted as misdemeanors, and refusing to sign a citation is a second-degree misdemeanor. The county can also sue for damages and to stop violations.

To report a suspected violation, call Sarasota County at 311.

Can I still buy fertilizer in the summer?

Yes. The ordinance regulates when and how fertilizer is applied, not when it’s sold, so stores can stock nitrogen fertilizer all summer. It’s up to the person applying it to follow the rules.

Why the county adopted it

The ordinance’s findings point to excess nutrients in Sarasota County waters, listed as impaired under Florida’s Impaired Waters Rule, and to the extra risk from heavy rainy-season runoff (Sec. 54-1020). The county also cites red tide blooms and red drift algae on local beaches as reasons for community concern about water quality (Sec. 54-1022). Nitrogen and phosphorus that wash off lawns feed the algae and weeds that clog stormwater systems and hurt bays and canals.

How to keep your lawn healthy through the blackout

• Use iron for color. Iron and micronutrient products without nitrogen or phosphorus keep St. Augustine green. Follow the label rate.
• Mow high and sharp. Keep your grass at the right height for its type, cut no more than a third of the blade at a time, and leave clippings on the lawn (not in the street).
• Water less, not more. UF/IFAS recommends about ½ to ¾ inch of water per watering, early in the morning, only when the grass shows signs of wilt, and only on your assigned watering day. Overwatering drives fungus, weeds, and shallow roots. Check the current Sarasota County watering schedule, since drought orders can tighten it.
• Feed before the cutoff. A spring feeding with slow-release nitrogen before June 1 (before April 1 in North Port) helps carry the lawn into summer.
• Start again October 1. Nitrogen fertilizer is legal again on October 1, at 50% slow-release or better.

Our lawn program follows this calendar. From June through September, we switch to iron and micronutrients with no nitrogen or phosphorus, then resume fertilizing in October. See our lawn care in Sarasota page for how the program works, or our Manatee County fertilizer blackout guide if you’re north of the county line.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does the fertilizer blackout apply in cities within Sarasota County?

The county ordinance covers unincorporated Sarasota County. The City of Sarasota and the City of Venice use the same rules, Longboat Key has a June 1 to September 30 blackout of its own, and North Port’s lawn blackout runs longer, from April 1 through September 30. Check with your city if you’re unsure.

Can I still buy fertilizer during the blackout period?

Yes. The ordinance restricts applying fertilizer, not selling it. It’s the buyer’s responsibility to know when a product can legally go down.

What happens if I accidentally apply fertilizer during the blackout?

Stop, and sweep up anything on hard surfaces so it can’t wash into a storm drain. Code enforcement can issue a warning notice or a citation, with civil penalties of up to $500 per violation. Reach out to the county if you have questions about fixing it.

How do I know if my lawn care company is properly trained?

Ask to see the company’s GI-BMP training certificate and state fertilizer license, and look for the county decal on its vehicles. A trained company should know the blackout dates and the rules for your city.

Does bad weather change the blackout dates?

No. Sarasota County’s blackout is fixed at June 1 to September 30, and North Port’s at April 1 to September 30, regardless of rainfall. Unlike Manatee County, Sarasota County’s code has no separate rule tied to storm watches, but fertilizing right before heavy rain is still a bad idea.

What should I do if I see someone fertilizing during the blackout?

Report it to Sarasota County by calling 311. Include the location, date, and time, and what you saw.

Can I use organic fertilizers during the blackout?

Only if they contain no nitrogen or phosphorus, and most organic fertilizers contain both. Sarasota County’s code doesn’t list a separate exemption for compost or mulch, so check with the county before spreading nutrient-rich organic material during the blackout.

How does North Port’s longer blackout work?

North Port’s restricted season runs from April 1 through September 30. During that time, fertilizer with nitrogen or phosphorus can’t go on lawns, though landscape plants can still be fertilized within the content and rate limits. A North Port lawn care program needs to plan its spring feeding around that earlier cutoff.