Del Norte County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Del Norte County does not impose drought-style day-of-week or time-of-day watering schedules on ordinary residential lawns; its very wet, redwood-coast climate makes such restrictions far less relevant than in inland California. The County's main landscape-water rule is its Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), adopted March 24, 2020 and listed among the Planning Division's official documents. MWELO implements the statewide model under the California Department of Water Resources and applies water-budget and efficient-irrigation standards primarily to larger new and renovated landscapes that go through permitting (for example, certain new development and large rehabilitated landscape areas), with certification forms required at design and installation. It generally does not regulate a homeowner simply watering an existing yard. Layered on top of any county rule are California's statewide water-waste prohibitions from the State Water Resources Control Board, whose permanent conservation regulations bar applying potable water to outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes runoff onto adjacent property, sidewalks, roadways, or structures, and restrict other wasteful practices. Public water systems serving parts of the county may add their own conservation rules during shortages. For most unincorporated residents, the practical takeaways are: avoid irrigation runoff, follow MWELO if you are permitting a qualifying new or renovated landscape, and check with your water provider for any local conservation stage.