How Mountain View Handles Water Use Rules: A Practical Guide

Mountain View maintains 160 local ordinances across all categories, and 2 of those deal specifically with water use rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Mountain View falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Recycled Water Rules

Within the Shoreline Regional Park Community, Mountain View requires identified retail, commercial and industrial customers to convert their irrigation systems to recycled water under City Code Sec. 35.100.2, and Sec. 35.100.3 requires new construction there to design for recycled water hookups. Customers who keep using potable water for irrigation without an approved exemption face a 50 percent surcharge under Sec. 35.100.7.

Key details: Applies to: Shoreline Regional Park Community customers. Governing section: City Code Sec. 35.100.2, Chapter 35 Art. V. Penalty for noncompliance: 50% surcharge on water service rate. Exemption request: Filed with Director of Public Works, 10-day decision. Appeal path: City manager, filed within 10 business days.

A customer who continues irrigating with potable water instead of converting faces a water service surcharge of fifty percent of the general water service rate under Mountain View City Code Sec. 35.27, on top of any other state or local penalty, per Sec. 35.100.7. If potable irrigation continues after a written warning from the director of public works, the city may discontinue irrigation water service following a noticed hearing, and restoring service requires paying the reactivation charge set in the city's master fee schedule.

Compared to other cities, Mountain View takes a harder line on recycled water rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Leak Reporting Duty

Mountain View lets commercial and industrial customers get a sewer bill credit under City Code Sec. 35.35.2 when an underground pipe leak inflates their water usage. The public works director can adjust the bill, but only if the leak is fixed within one billing cycle of the first sign of the spike and the water never reached the sanitary sewer.

Key details: Adjustment window: One billing period from first spike. Eligible customers: Commercial and industrial only. Credit cap: Sewer charges tied to the leak only. Proof required: Written request plus repair invoice. Decision-maker: Public works director or designee.

There's no penalty for a leak itself, but missing Sec. 35.35.2's deadlines forfeits the credit: repairing after the one-billing-period window, failing to submit a written request and repair invoice, or a bill that doesn't return to normal usage the following period all result in the public works director denying the adjustment, leaving the customer owing the full sewer charge for the leaked water.

The rules around leak reporting duty in Mountain View lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Mountain View's water use rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Mountain View is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Mountain View's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.