Water Conservation Information Center
The City of Miami Beach operates and maintains the potable water distribution infrastructure within its jurisdictional boundaries, including purchasing wholesale water from Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD). The distribution system is designed to provide reliable service to a diverse customer base while meeting applicable water quality, pressure and reliability requirements.
Ordinance 06-177 – incorporated into Section 32-83.1 of the Miami-Dade County Code requires a water conservation plan from wholesale customers.
This webpage covers ordinances, recommendations and procedures that Miami Beach has in place to promote water conservation.
Building Code
The City of Miami Beach has implemented water-efficiency standards to reduce indoor potable water consumption in new construction and substantial renovations through enforcement of the Florida Building Code (Plumbing), as adopted by the State of Florida and administered locally through the City of Miami Beach’s building permitting and inspection processes.
The Florida Building Code establishes maximum allowable flow rates and water consumption limits for plumbing fixtures, including toilets, faucets and showerheads, as specified in Chapter 4 epi Section 604.4 -Maximum Flow and Water Consumption. Implementation of these requirements is supported through the Miami-Dade County building and plumbing permitting and inspection process, which governs regulated plumbing work within the City of Miami Beach, including installation and replacement of plumbing fixtures.
Appliances to Conserve Water
It is recommended that water-efficient appliances — such as faucets, showerheads, toilets, etc. — are labeled and certified as WaterSense. WaterSense-labeled products are supported by independent, third-party certification and meet the EPA’s specifications for efficiency and performance. The link below will provide more information including a selection of products residents and businesses can use to improve their water conservation.
Leak Detection
Leaks are a common contributor to water loss and usage. The City of Miami Beach has upgraded water meters to the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that allows customers to track water usage in real time. This allows customers and the distributor to detect any possible leaks based on water usage. Miami-Dade County also has a webpage to help identify the different types of leaks, how to prevent and fix them. Learn more about protecting your home or business from water leaks in the link below.
Enfòmasyon Siplemantè
For more information on what you can do to support water conservation, please visit the MBRisingAbove webpage below.
The City of Miami Beach enforces permanent, year-round landscape irrigation restrictions under Ordinance No. 2024-4622, which amended Chapter 110 (Utilities). This ordinance aligns with the South Florida Water Management District’s mandatory irrigation conservation measures under Chapter 40E-24, Florida Administrative Code, and adopts Miami-Dade County’s year-round irrigation restrictions.
These restrictions include:
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No irrigation allowed daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Alternate watering days based on even/odd numbered addresses.
Violations of these rules may result in fines. These measures help reduce unnecessary outdoor water use and promote efficient irrigation practices year-round.
Additionally, Miami Beach’s Landscape Ordinance (Chapter 126) sets minimum standards for landscape design and encourages the use of drought- and salt-tolerant plants. It emphasizes design principles that minimize irrigation demand and support sustainable water use.
Learn more at the link below.
Wastewater and sewer charges are included in your water bill, as the cost of collecting and treating all wastewater is factored into the price of potable water. Learn more about Miami Beach’s sewer and water wholesale rates:
Miami Beach’s Water System Master Plan guides ongoing infrastructure and capital improvement projects to enhance the water transmission, pumping and distribution system to minimize water loss. Water infrastructure upgrades are scheduled based on system age, capacity needs (fire flows) and operational priorities.
These efforts are implemented through neighborhood improvement projects, corridor-based infrastructure upgrades, and targeted system rehabilitation initiatives that are completed in-house or by contractor. These projects support replacement and rehabilitation of transmission and distribution mains, improvement of fire flow capacity, enhancement of booster station performance, and minimizes system vulnerabilities that may contribute to water loss.
Public Works periodically utilizes an acoustic leak detection survey technology to identify suspected leak locations throughout the transmission and distribution system. The two latest water leak detection projects were conducted in 2019 and 2024. In both projects approximately 80.97 miles of potable water distribution mains were inspected. All identified leak anomalies (including watermain and hydrant related leaks) were repaired in-house by the Public Works Construction team in a timely manner; it is estimated that the repairs prevented the loss of 1.8 million gallons of water a year.
The City of Miami Beach is the wholesaler to the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD). The City owns, operates, and maintains the potable water distribution infrastructure within its jurisdictional boundaries, including purchasing wholesale water from WASD. The distribution system is designed to provide reliable service to a diverse customer base while meeting applicable water quality, pressure, and reliability requirements.
Ordinance 06-177 – incorporated into Section 32-83.1 of the Code of Miami-Dade County requires a water conservation plan from wholesale customers.
In this webpage, customers will find ordinances, recommendations, and procedures that Miami Beach has in place to promote water conservation among the customers.
Building Code
The City of Miami Beach has implemented water-efficiency standards to reduce indoor potable water consumption in new construction and substantial renovations through enforcement of the Florida Building Code (Plumbing), as adopted by the State of Florida and administered locally through the City’s building permitting and inspection processes.
The Florida Building Code establishes maximum allowable flow rates and water consumption limits for plumbing fixtures, including toilets, faucets, and showerheads, as specified in Chapter 4 epi Section 604.4 -Maximum Flow and Water Consumption. Implementation of these requirements is supported through the Miami-Dade County building and plumbing permitting and inspection process, which governs regulated plumbing work within the City of Miami Beach, including installation and replacement of plumbing fixtures
Appliances to Conserve Water
It is recommended that water-efficient appliances (such as faucets, showerheads, toilets, etc.) are WaterSense labeled and certified. WaterSense labeled products are supported by independent, third-party certification and meet the EPA’s specifications for efficiency and performance. The link below will provide more information and selection of products residents can use to improve their water conservation.
Leak Detection
Leaks are a common contributor to water loss and usage. The City of Miami Beach has upgraded water meters to the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that allows customers to track water usage in real time. This allows customers and the distributor to detect any possible leaks based off water usage. Miami-Dade County also has a webpage to help identify the different types of leaks, how to prevent and fix them. Learn more about protecting from water leaks below.
Enfòmasyon Siplemantè
For more information that customers can do to support water conservation, please visit the MB Rising Above webpage.
The City of Miami Beach has adopted and enforces permanent year-round landscape irrigation restrictions through Ordinance No. 2024-4622, which amended Chapter 110 (Utilities). This ordinance adopts and enforces the South Florida Water Management District’s mandatory irrigation conservation measures under Chapter 40E-24, Florida Administrative Code, and locally, adopts Miami-Dade County’s year-round irrigation restrictions.
These restrictions include a daily ‘no irrigation’ time from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and alternate days for even/odd numbered addresses to conduct necessary landscape irrigation. Fines are issued to properties in violation of the landscaping ordinances. These irrigation restrictions are intended to reduce unnecessary outdoor water use and support efficient irrigation practices on a year-round basis.
Miami Beach also adopted a Landscape Ordinance (Chapter 126 of the City Code) that establishes minimum standards for landscape design and promotes the use of appropriate plant species that support efficient water use. Landscape requirements emphasize the selection of drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant vegetation and the application of landscape design principles that reduce irrigation demand. Visit the link below to learn more.
The City of Miami Beach uses its potable water rate structure as a tool to promote efficient water use while maintaining financial stability and recovering the costs associated with water supply, treatment, distribution, and system maintenance. As a wholesale customer of MDWASD, Miami Beach’s rate structure is designed to balance conservation objectives with operational and fiscal requirements.
Miami Beach currently implements an increasing tiered rate structure for potable water service, under which the unit cost of water increases as customer water use increases. This tiered rate design provides an economic incentive for customers to manage water use efficiently by applying higher unit costs to higher levels of consumption, while maintaining affordability for essential water use at lower consumption levels. Learn more through the link below.
Waste and sewer water are also part of the water charges, the cost to collect and treat all wastewater is factored into the price when using potable water. Learn more about the Miami Beach’s sewer and water wholesale rates:
The City of Miami Beach completed the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in Fall 2023. The AMI meters provide real-time water usage information and supports improved visibility into system-wide water demand. The system allows customers and the Miami Beach’s Public Works Department to access more up-to-date and detailed water use information online, supporting customer awareness of individual water consumption.
The availability of real-time and detailed water use data supports identification of potential leaks and contributes to improved operational monitoring of the potable water distribution system. The AMI supports the Miami Beach’s water conservation public education efforts by providing customers with direct access to their water use information through the app EyeOnWater. Miami Beach has communicated information regarding the AMI meter installation project to residents through City-managed email communications, including a project update distributed in March 2023 describing citywide meter installation activities. Read more about AMI water meters:
In addition to the AMI water meters, Miami Beach also uses the program EyeOnWater. This program allows residents to make an account and track their water usage in real time, seeing when and how they use their water and how much. It also identifies irregularities in water usage that would indicate a leak on a property and helps residents identify the leak if there is one. Customers can learn more and create an account using the link below.
