Water restrictions in Oakland, CA — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Oakland is served by East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), which sets water-use restrictions under permanent rules and drought-stage declarations, supplemented by California Water Code Section 10608 efficiency mandates and AB 1572 non-functional turf provisions.
Oakland's water utility, EBMUD, maintains permanent water-waste rules under Board Resolution 35183 and Regulation 14 prohibiting irrigation runoff, washing down hard surfaces except for health/safety, and watering during rain. Irrigation is restricted to before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. and no more than three days per week during normal supply conditions; drought declarations can tighten this to two days or less. Statewide, AB 1572 (2023) phases out irrigation of non-functional turf at commercial, industrial, and institutional properties between 2027 and 2031, and this applies within Oakland. California Water Code Section 10608 establishes the per-capita reduction targets that EBMUD implements. During declared drought stages, EBMUD imposes excessive-use penalties and may require mandatory cutbacks enforceable through surcharges on the water bill.
EBMUD water waste first violation is typically a written warning, second 25 dollars, third 100 dollars, and continued violations up to 1,000 dollars per incident. During drought declarations, excessive-use surcharges of several dollars per unit above allocation appear on the water bill. AB 1572 noncompliance by CII properties will carry state civil penalties beginning in 2027.
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