Petaluma, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

070(A)(3) prohibits irrigating in a manner that allows runoff or over-spray beyond the area being watered, and it holds every customer responsible for knowing the extent of their own runoff and using available technology to prevent it. Subsection (A)(4) separately bars applying potable water to outdoor landscaping during rainfall and for forty-eight hours afterward. 070 makes unlawful, alongside washing hard surfaces with a hose lacking a shutoff nozzle, running non-recirculating water features, and exceeding a dedicated irrigation account's water budget by more than twenty percent in a billing period.

100(A) sets the enforcement timeline: once the city gives written notice of a violation, seventy-two hours is treated as a reasonable period to correct it absent unusual circumstances, and if personal contact with the customer fails, the city can leave written notice on the premises and mail a copy by certified mail. Continued noncompliance lets the city install a flow-restricting device on the water service line or levy a water waste fine, with the exact fine amounts set by council resolution rather than fixed in the chapter itself. 080 and appeal an adverse decision to the city council within fifteen calendar days.