Santa Barbara County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Santa Barbara 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
- Governing ordinance
- State Model WELO, CCR Title 23 §490 et seq.
- New-landscape trigger
- ≥500 sq ft requiring a permit/plan check/design review
- Rehab trigger
- ≥2,500 sq ft requiring a permit/plan check/design review
- Effective
- Updated State Model in effect since Jan 2, 2025; applies after Apr 2, 2025
- Daily watering limits
- Set by water purveyor / State Water Board, not a single County rule
Summary
Santa Barbara County applies California's State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (CCR Title 23, Section 490 et seq.) to new and rehabilitated landscapes. Day-to-day watering limits are set by the state and by local water purveyors, not by a single countywide watering-day rule.
New development and retrofitted landscape water efficiency standards are governed by the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) . The MWELO is also referenced by Title 24, Part 11, Chapters 4 and 5 CalGreen Building Code. All local agencies must adopt, implement, and enforce the MWELO or a local Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO) that is at least as effective as the MWELO. Usually, local agencies that adopt WELOs create a more stringent ordinance than MWELO. The purpose of water efficient landscape ordinances is to not only increase water efficiency but to improve environmental conditions in the built environment.
Full Breakdown
For new and rehabilitated landscapes, the County's Planning and Development Department applies the State Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO/MWELO), codified at California Code of Regulations Title 23, Section 490 et seq. " After April 2, 2025, it applies to new construction landscapes of 500 square feet or more, and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more, that need a building, landscape, coastal-development or land-use permit, plan check or design review. Compliance is met either through prescriptive measures (Section 492) or a performance approach using the Maximum Applied Water Allowance and Estimated Total Water Use calculations (Section 493).
MWELO caps the Estimated Applied Water through an irrigation efficiency factor and requires weather- or sensor-based controllers. Beyond MWELO, ongoing drought watering restrictions (watering days, hours, no-runoff rules) are imposed by the State Water Resources Control Board during emergencies and by individual purveyors (Montecito, Carpinteria Valley, Goleta, Santa Ynez and others), so specific outdoor-watering schedules depend on your water provider, not a single County ordinance.
Violations & Fines
MWELO compliance is enforced through the permit process: landscape documentation is required before permit issuance and a Certificate of Completion before final occupancy clearance. Projects that fail to submit required documentation can be denied final approval. Drought-stage watering violations (e.g., runoff, prohibited watering hours) are enforced and penalized by the relevant water purveyor or the State Water Board, not the County land-use code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Santa Barbara County have its own water-efficient landscape ordinance?
What landscape size triggers WELO review?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Barbara County
How Santa Barbara County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Barbara County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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