Can you drill a well without a permit in Florida?

Exempt — no permit or water right. F.S. 373.219(1): 'no permit shall be required for domestic consumption of water by individual users.' The exemption holds statewide, including inside every Water Use Caution Area and the CFWI. A well-construction permit is still required, but that is a construction/quality gate, not a quantity allocation.

Which Florida counties have groundwater restrictions?

14 Florida counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Charlotte County, DeSoto County, Hardee County, Highlands County, Hillsborough County. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Florida · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Florida

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Florida: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 14 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Florida water rules

Household well
Exempt — no permit or water right
F.S. 373.219(1): 'no permit shall be required for domestic consumption of water by individual users.' The exemption holds statewide, including inside every Water Use Caution Area and the CFWI. A well-construction permit is still required, but that is a construction/quality gate, not a quantity allocation.
Limit: individual single-family domestic use exempt (no CUP/WUP)
Florida Statutes 373.219(1) & 373.019 ↗
Greywater reuse
permitted
<=1,500 gpd for toilet flushing with NSF 350 treatment; outdoor reuse restricted.
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
encouraged
Legal statewide; municipal rebate programs.
NCSL ↗
Water rights
regulated riparian
Consumptive-use permits via Water Mgmt Districts; domestic use exempt.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

14 constrained counties in Florida

Over-appropriatedCharlotte CountySouthern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)37
Over-appropriatedDeSoto CountySouthern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)51
Over-appropriatedHardee CountySouthern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)54
Over-appropriatedHighlands CountySouthern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)50
Over-appropriatedHillsborough CountyNorthern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area29
Over-appropriatedLake CountyCentral Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Planning Area49
Over-appropriatedManatee CountySouthern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)38
Over-appropriatedOrange CountyCentral Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Planning Area29
Over-appropriatedOsceola CountyCentral Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Planning Area43
Over-appropriatedPasco CountyNorthern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area43
Over-appropriatedPinellas CountyNorthern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area20
Over-appropriatedPolk CountyCentral Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Planning Area38
Over-appropriatedSarasota CountySouthern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA)40
Over-appropriatedSeminole CountyCentral Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) Planning Area40

The Bolthole Index Letter

One email a week: the best counties to live off-grid, rule changes that matter, and Florida water-rule changes as basins close. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Keep exploring Florida

See the full Florida county ranking, compare states on the water-rights hub, or read how water access is scored. Physical water is dimmed — never erased — where a county sits in one of these basins, household-first.

General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.