Boil Water Notice in Marion County and Ocala
Where to check for a current notice, what a precautionary notice means, how long it lasts and what to do.
Is there a boil water notice in Ocala or Marion County today?
Check the Marion County news list under the category Boil Water Notices, or Marion County Utilities' View Boil Water Notices page. The county posts several precautionary notices and rescissions most weeks, and each covers only the streets named in it. The City of Ocala runs its own separate water system, so a City customer should check with the City's Water Resources Department instead.
Marion County Utilities, the county's water and wastewater utility, says it serves nearly 35,000 customers, according to its My Drinking Water page. Its notices use community names such as Silver Springs Shores, Marion Oaks, Rainbow Lakes Estates and Ocala Waterway. A notice that names Oak Court does not affect the rest of Silver Springs Shores, so the street list matters more than the community name. To find out whether the utility serves a particular address, the county directs people to customer service at 352-307-6000.
The page below is reference material, not a live alert. Notices change daily, and the county's own list is the source of record.
- -Marion County Utilities posts each precautionary boil water notice and rescission on the Marion County news list (category Boil Water Notices) and its View Boil Water Notices page; customer service is 352-307-6000.
- -County notices say to boil water for about one minute or use bottled water for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth; laundry, bathing and showering need no boiling.
- -The City of Ocala runs a separate water system (Water Resources Department), so City customers should check City channels, not just the county list.
Recent Marion County boil water notices (October 2026)
These are the October 2026 notices from the county's own pages, as of Oct. 25, 2026. Each links to the county notice. This table will go out of date; check the county news list or the Marion County Utilities notice list for current ones.
Notices and rescissions, as of Oct. 25, 2026
| Area | Streets affected | Reason | Notice began | Status per county list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Springs Shores | Oak Court, 25 addresses | Water main break | Oct. 21 (posted 2:07 p.m.) | No rescission on the county list as of Oct. 25 |
| Rainbow Lakes Estates | Addresses on SW 196th Ave., SW 195th Ave., SW 56th Ln., SW 50th Pl. and S. U.S. Hwy. 41 | Planned work (TCU tie-in), 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. work window | Oct. 21 (posted Oct. 19) | No rescission on the county list as of Oct. 25 |
| South Oak | SE 50th Pl. and SE 49th Pl., 16 addresses | Planned water main repair and valve install | Oct. 20 (posted Oct. 16) | No rescission on the county list as of Oct. 25 |
| Kunal | 4255 W. Hwy. 326, 1 address | Planned contractor work | Oct. 20 (posted Oct. 15) | Rescinded Oct. 22 (rescission) |
| Oak Ridge Estates | SW 66th Terrace, 2 addresses | Contractor hit a blow-off (unplanned) | Oct. 16 | Rescinded Oct. 18 (rescission) |
| Ocala Waterway | SW 110th St., 19 addresses | Planned hydrant relocation | Oct. 13 (posted Oct. 6) | Rescinded Oct. 15 (rescission) |
| Marion Oaks | SW 44th Circle, 9 addresses | Planned work (TCU tie-in) | Oct. 12 (posted Oct. 9) | Rescinded Oct. 14 (rescission) |
| Hidden Lake | SW 78th Ct., 20 addresses | Water main break | Oct. 5 | Rescinded Oct. 7 (rescission) |
Source: Marion County news list and Marion County Utilities notice pages, opened Oct. 25, 2026. "No rescission on the county list" means none had been posted when we checked; it does not confirm the notice is still in force. Call 352-307-6000 to confirm.
The pattern in the county's notices is small and local. Five of the eight were planned work, announced days ahead with a start time of 8 a.m. on the work day and a work window of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., during which service is interrupted. The unplanned ones, a water main break in Hidden Lake on Oct. 5 and Silver Springs Shores on Oct. 21 and a contractor-damaged blow-off in Oak Ridge Estates on Oct. 16, were issued the day they happened. Late September also brought a run of Marion Oaks notices, whose rescissions the county posted on Sept. 26 and Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
For news about the neighborhoods named above, see our guides to Silver Springs Shores and Marion Oaks.
What a precautionary boil water notice says
A precautionary boil water notice is an advisory to boil tap water before using it for consumption until testing shows the water is safe. According to Marion County Utilities, it is a public statement that the water quality is unknown, so customers should assume the water is unsafe to drink and take voluntary precautions.
Why one is issued
The county's Water Notices page says state operating rules require a precautionary notice when operating pressure drops below 20 psi for 20 minutes or more, or when a water main break or interruption requires physical repair of the piping. A confirmed contaminant above its allowable limit triggers a separate, mandatory notice.
Who to call
Marion County Utilities customer service, 352-307-6000, is printed on every county notice. It is also the number to call to update the phone number on an account, so the utility can reach a customer directly.
The wording in the county's notices follows a standard form. All residents must boil water used for consumption until the water is tested and the results show it is safe. Water should be brought to a rapid boil for about one minute. Bottled water may be used instead. The notice applies to drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and similar uses and stays in effect until further notice, and water for laundry, bathing and showering does not need to be boiled.
The Florida Department of Health publishes a sample precautionary notice with the same structure, and its guidelines for issuing notices require each notice to include the affected area, the problem, the corrective steps, what the water system is doing, a statement that customers will be told when it is lifted, and a phone number.
How long does a boil water notice last, and how is it lifted?
A notice stays in effect until bacteriological testing shows the water is safe, and the utility then posts a rescission. Marion County Utilities says each event requires two consecutive days of bacteriological or clearance tests with acceptable results, using water samples collected within the affected area and sent to a state-certified lab. When passing results arrive, the notice is canceled.
In practice, the five October notices the county had rescinded by Oct. 25 were each rescinded two days after they took effect: Hidden Lake (Oct. 5 to Oct. 7), Ocala Waterway (Oct. 13 to Oct. 15), Marion Oaks (Oct. 12 to Oct. 14), Oak Ridge Estates (Oct. 16 to Oct. 18) and Kunal (Oct. 20 to Oct. 22). Every county rescission uses the same wording: the notice "is hereby rescinded following the satisfactory completion of the bacteriological survey showing that the water is safe to drink."
The state rule behind this is in the Florida Department of Health's guidelines. The entity that issues a notice must also rescind it, after a minimum of one day of representative bacteriological samples; for water main breaks the guidelines call for at least two samples, one upstream and one downstream of the break. A second day of samples must still be collected after main repairs, and if bacteria turn up, the notice is reissued.
Keep boiling until a rescission names your street
A rescission lists the same addresses as the original notice. If a rescission is not posted for the streets in the notice, treat the notice as still in force and call 352-307-6000 to confirm.
What to do during a boil water notice
Use bottled water or water that has been brought to a rolling boil for one minute for anything you drink or eat. The Florida Department of Health's sample notice names drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth and washing dishes, and says a one-minute rolling boil is sufficient.
- Drinking and cooking. Boil for one minute or use bottled water. Let boiled water cool and store it in clean, covered containers, per the CDC.
- Ice. Do not use ice from ice makers, according to Marion County Utilities. The CDC also lists making ice among the uses to avoid with unsafe water.
- Brushing teeth. Use boiled or bottled water, and let boiled water cool first, per Marion County Utilities.
- Washing dishes. Marion County Utilities says to use the sanitizing cycle on a dishwasher. The CDC lists washing dishes among uses to avoid with untreated water.
- Fruits and vegetables. Wash them with boiled water, per Marion County Utilities.
- Baby formula and handwashing. The CDC lists making baby formula and washing hands among the uses to avoid when water is suspected to be unsafe, and says to use bottled, boiled or treated water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.
- Laundry, bathing and showering. The county notices say this water does not need to be boiled.
If water is cloudy, the CDC advises filtering it through a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter, or letting it settle, before boiling. If power is out and boiling is not possible, the Florida Department of Health guidelines describe disinfecting with 8 drops of unscented household bleach (4 to 6 percent) per gallon, with a 30-minute stand time. Boiling does not remove fuel or toxic chemicals, the CDC notes.
Sources: Marion County Utilities, Water Notices; Florida Department of Health sample notice; CDC, How to Make Water Safe in an Emergency. This page is general information, not medical advice.
City of Ocala water customers
The City of Ocala operates its own water system through its Water Resources Department, separate from Marion County Utilities. The City describes the department as responsible for the pumping, treatment, storage and transfer of drinking water, and it operates a state-certified water quality laboratory.
The City posts announcements and press releases on its news list, which can be filtered by department, including Water Resources, and offers an email and notification sign-up for city updates. As of Oct. 25, 2026, none of the items on the City's news list from Aug. 12 through Oct. 23 was a boil water notice. The Water Resources page lists (352) 351-6775 for reporting a leak or other issue, and the City's main number is 352-629-2489.
We did not verify boil water notice channels for other utilities in the county, including municipal systems in Belleview and Dunnellon and private community systems. Customers of those systems should contact their own provider. Statewide, the Florida Department of Health keeps a boil water notice list compiled from press reports, utility data and local authorities; it says the utility or county emergency contact has the latest information.
Related Marion County guides
Water problems often arrive with storms. See our Marion County hurricane guide and hurricane preparedness for Ocala, and check Ocala weather before travel. For background on the area, read Marion County, Florida and living in Ocala.
Boil water notice FAQ
Is there a boil water notice in Ocala today?
Check two places, because two utilities serve the Ocala area. Marion County Utilities posts every precautionary boil water notice and rescission on the Marion County news list (category Boil Water Notices) and on its own View Boil Water Notices page. The City of Ocala runs a separate water system through its Water Resources Department. As of Oct. 25, 2026, the county list showed notices for Silver Springs Shores, Rainbow Lakes Estates and South Oak with no rescission posted, and none of the City of Ocala's recent news items was a boil water notice. A notice covers only the listed addresses, so check the street names.
What does a precautionary boil water notice mean?
Marion County Utilities describes it as a public statement advising customers to boil tap water before consuming it because the water quality is unknown and customers should assume the water is unsafe to drink. The utility says state operating rules require one when pressure drops below 20 psi for 20 minutes or more, or when a water main break or interruption requires physical repair of the piping. It is a precaution, not a finding that the water is contaminated.
How long should I boil water during a boil water notice?
Marion County notices say to bring water to a rapid boil for about one minute before consumption, and the Florida Department of Health guidelines say a rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. Bottled water is an acceptable alternative. The notice applies to water used for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth. According to the notices, water for laundry, bathing and showering does not need to be boiled.
How long does a boil water notice last in Marion County?
It lasts until the water passes bacteriological testing. Marion County Utilities says each event requires two consecutive days of clearance tests with acceptable results, with samples taken in the affected area and sent to a state-certified lab. In October 2026, the county rescinded the Kunal, Oak Ridge Estates, Ocala Waterway, Marion Oaks and Hidden Lake notices two days after each took effect.
How do I know when a boil water notice is lifted?
The utility issues a separate rescission notice. Marion County rescissions say the notice "is hereby rescinded following the satisfactory completion of the bacteriological survey showing that the water is safe to drink." They appear on the same county news list as the original notice. Until a rescission is posted for your street, keep boiling. Customers can call Marion County Utilities customer service at 352-307-6000 to confirm or to update their phone number.
Who do I call about a boil water notice in Marion County?
Marion County Utilities customer service at 352-307-6000, the number printed on every county notice. The utility's office is at 11800 SE U.S. Highway 441 in Belleview. For the City of Ocala water system, the Water Resources Department lists (352) 351-6775 for reporting a leak or other issue.
Do Silver Springs Shores and Marion Oaks have their own boil water notices?
They appear in Marion County Utilities notices, labeled by community. In October 2026 the county issued notices for the Silver Springs Shores, Marion Oaks, Hidden Lake, Rainbow Lakes Estates, Oak Ridge Estates, South Oak, Kunal and Ocala Waterway areas. Most were limited to one street or a handful of addresses, such as 9 addresses on SW 44th Circle in Marion Oaks and 25 addresses on Oak Court in Silver Springs Shores.
What should I do while a boil water notice is in effect?
Use bottled water or water boiled for one minute for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and mixing baby formula, according to the Florida Department of Health and the CDC. Marion County Utilities adds that fruits and vegetables should be washed with boiled water, ice from ice makers should not be used, and a dishwasher should be run on its sanitizing cycle. Let boiled water cool before brushing teeth.
Sources
- Marion County, Our County news list (Boil Water Notices category) and the individual notices and rescissions linked in the table
- Marion County Utilities, View Boil Water Notices
- Marion County Utilities, Water Notices and My Drinking Water
- City of Ocala, Water Resources and City news list
- Florida Department of Health, Issuing Precautionary Boil Water Notices and sample notice
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, How to Make Water Safe in an Emergency
How we verified this page
Every notice in the table was read on the Marion County website on Oct. 25, 2026, and the status column reflects what the county's list showed that day. The procedures come from Marion County Utilities, the Florida Department of Health and the CDC. AI tools helped gather the sources and draft this page; each fact was checked against those sources before publishing. We refresh the table when we revisit the page. Read our editorial guidelines.
Aviso de hervir el agua en el Condado de Marion y Ocala
Marion County Utilities publica cada aviso preventivo de hervir el agua y su cancelación en la lista de noticias del Condado de Marion y en su página de avisos; el servicio al cliente es el 352-307-6000. Los avisos del condado indican hervir el agua a fuego fuerte durante aproximadamente un minuto, o usar agua embotellada, para beber, cocinar y cepillarse los dientes; el agua para lavar ropa, bañarse o ducharse no necesita hervirse. Según el condado, cada aviso requiere dos días consecutivos de pruebas bacteriológicas con resultados aceptables antes de cancelarse. La Ciudad de Ocala opera su propio sistema de agua a través del Departamento de Recursos Hídricos (Water Resources), por lo que sus clientes deben consultar los canales de la Ciudad.