Alameda County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Alameda County, CA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Landscapes over 1 acre
- Trigger
- Pre-2010, exceeds water budget
- Metered lots
- Water supplier runs audit
- Unmetered lots
- County planning dept. audits
Summary
Existing unincorporated Alameda County landscapes over one acre that use more water than their allowance face mandatory irrigation audits under the county's water-efficient landscape ordinance, administered by the local water supplier.
This section shall apply to all existing landscapes that were installed before January 1, 2010, are over one acre in size, and exceed the applicable maximum applied water allowance. For all landscapes that have a water meter, the water supplier shall administer programs that may include, but not be limited to, irrigation water use analyses, irrigation surveys, and irrigation audits to evaluate water use and provide recommendations as necessary to reduce landscape water use to a level that does not exceed the maximum applied water allowance.
Full Breakdown
Section 17.64.170 targets existing landscapes installed before January 1, 2010 that are over one acre and exceed their Maximum Applied Water Allowance. For metered landscapes, the water supplier must run programs, irrigation water use analyses, surveys, and audits by a certified landscape irrigation auditor, to bring use down to the allowance. For landscapes without a separate irrigation meter, the county planning department runs the survey/audit program directly. This is separate from the routine maintenance-schedule audits required of every newly installed or rehabilitated landscape under § 17.64.130, and it does not set fixed watering days, those come from the local retail water agency's own drought rules, not this chapter.
Violations & Fines
A qualifying existing landscape (1+ acre, over its water allowance, installed before 2010) that refuses the required irrigation audit or ignores the resulting recommendations is out of compliance with § 17.64.170.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Alameda County set specific watering days for unincorporated areas?
Who audits my irrigation if I don't have a separate irrigation meter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda County
How Alameda County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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