March home maintenance checklist

By Pau Cozar Navas · Last reviewed October 2026 · Tasks from the HouseByMonth calendar

March is the start of spring work in the South and the tail end of winter in the North. In Florida and Hawaii, the cooling season is close and outdoor jobs are best done now. In Minnesota and Alaska, the ground is still frozen, so most of the month's work happens indoors.

March tasks by climate zone

Climate zone	Tasks this month
Zone 1 (very hot) Miami, Honolulu, Key West	Schedule an AC tune-up (if you have central air conditioning, heat pump) Clean the gutters (if you have gutters) Inspect the roof Flush the water heater Service the pool equipment (if you have swimming pool)
Zone 2 (hot) Houston, Phoenix, Orlando, Dallas	Schedule an AC tune-up (if you have central air conditioning, heat pump) Start up and check the sprinkler system (if you have sprinkler / irrigation system) Septic inspection (every 3 years) (if you have septic system) Test your well water (if you have private well) Flush the water heater
Zone 3 (warm) Atlanta, Nashville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles	Clean the gutters (if you have gutters) Inspect the roof Flush the water heater
Zone 4 (mixed) Washington DC, New York City, St. Louis, Seattle	Test the sump pump (if you have basement or crawl space) Flush the water heater
Zone 5 (cool) Chicago, Denver, Boston, Salt Lake City	Test the sump pump (if you have basement or crawl space) Flush the water heater
Zone 6 (cold) Minneapolis, Fargo, Burlington (Vermont), Helena	Flush the water heater
Zone 7 (very cold) Duluth, Caribou (Maine), Anchorage	Flush the water heater
Zone 8 (subarctic) Fairbanks and interior Alaska	Flush the water heater

Not sure of your zone? Find it by ZIP code, or build your calendar to see only the tasks that fit your home.

What to focus on

Every zone gets the same indoor job this month: flush the water heater. Draining a few gallons removes sediment that makes tank heaters noisy and less efficient. Follow your model's manual, and see the water heater flushing guide for the steps and safety notes. In zones 6, 7 and 8, this is the only seasonal task in March.

Zones 1 and 2 should book an AC tune-up if the home has central air or a heat pump. A technician can clean the coils, check the refrigerant and clear the condensate drain before the cooling season starts, when contractors are less busy. The tune-up schedule guide explains the timing. Zone 2 also starts up the sprinkler system, is due for the septic inspection in its three-year cycle, and tests well water. See restarting sprinklers and septic inspections.

Spring gutter cleaning and roof inspections land in zones 1 and 3 this month. Zones 4 and 5 test the sump pump instead, before the thaw and spring rains test it for real.

Every month

Test each smoke and CO alarm (how to test), and check whether the HVAC filter needs replacing (filter guide).

The February checklist comes before this one and April comes next; the calendar shows your zone's full year.

Want every task on one schedule? Build your free maintenance calendar for your ZIP code and add it to your phone.