Water Use Rules in Escondido, CA (2026)
2 verified water use rules for Escondido, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Turf Replacement Rebates
Escondido's water-efficient landscape ordinance restricts where and how turf can be installed on regulated projects. Section 33-1330 requires low-volume irrigation on narrow strips and steep slopes, bans turf entirely in medians, parking-lot islands and public rights-of-way on commercial and multifamily sites, and limits turf on ball fields, parks and golf courses to areas the facility actually needs.
Escondido Landscape Turf Use Limits
Some RestrictionsEscondido, CA, Municipal Code § 33-1330 (Regulations Applicable to Use of Turf on Landscaped Areas), Article 62 (Water Efficient Landscape Regulations)
Only low volume or subsurface irrigation shall be used for turf in a landscaped area: (1) On a slope greater than 25% grade where the toe of the slope is adjacent to an impermeable hardscape; and (2) Where any dimension of the landscaped area is less than six feet wide. ... On a commercial, industrial, institutional or multifamily project, no turf shall be allowed on a center island median stri...
Recycled Water Rules
Escondido requires new landscaped projects to irrigate with tertiary treated recycled water whenever it is available from the water purveyor, install a dual purple-pipe distribution system, and comply with all other state and local recycled water rules.
Escondido Recycled Water Use Requirements
Some RestrictionsEscondido, CA, Municipal Code § 33-1332 (Recycled water), Article 62 (Water Efficient Landscape Regulations)
§ 33-1332. Recycled water. (a) A person who obtains a permit for a project that is subject to this article shall use recycled water for irrigation when tertiary treated recycled water is available from the water purveyor who supplies water to the property for which the city issues a permit. (b) A person using recycled water shall install a dual distribution system for water received from a publ...
Looking for San Diego County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Escondido city rules.
Water Use Rules in San Diego County →