Pico Rivera, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Pico Rivera Municipal Code Chapter 13.70, adopted by Ordinance 1056, sets permanent water conservation rules that apply at all times regardless of drought status. Section 13.70.040 bans irrigating lawns, landscaping or vegetated areas with potable water between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., except for hand-held buckets, a hand-held hose with a positive self-closing shut-off nozzle, or very short adjustments to fix a sprinkler. Watering is also capped at fifteen minutes per station unless the system uses low-flow drip emitters producing two gallons per hour or less, or weather-based controllers meeting a 70 percent efficiency standard.

Leaks and breaks in a customer's plumbing must be fixed within fourteen days of city notice. Once the city council or its designee declares a Level 1 water supply shortage under Section 13.70.050, watering days shrink to three per week April through October and one per week November through March, both on a schedule the city establishes and posts; the drip-irrigation and hand-watering exceptions still apply. A Level 2 shortage under Section 13.70.060 tightens the days limit further to two per week and requires leak repairs within 48 hours, while a Level 3 emergency under Section 13.70.070, declared per California Water Code Section 350, bans outdoor watering altogether except for fire protection, erosion control, rare plants and limited park irrigation. The city may also impose water allocations, rate surcharges and connection moratoriums during a shortage.