Sierra County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Sierra County does not impose a single countywide lawn-watering schedule. Where the County directly operates a public water system, though, it does set restrictions. The Sierra Brooks - County Service Area 5, Zone 5A Water System Regulations (SCC Chapter 8.50) establish a water-conservation policy (SCC 8.50.050) and four escalating conservation phases (SCC 8.50.055). In Phase One (voluntary), outside irrigation of lawns and landscaping is requested only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses and Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays for even-numbered addresses, with no watering on Mondays in the May-October summer months and watering limited to 5:00-10:00 a.m. and 5:00-10:00 p.m.; there is no watering for dust control and no irrigation of native landscaping. Phase Two makes those rules mandatory and adds further restrictions, and the system manager can escalate phases (SCC 8.50.060). Outside that service area, watering is governed by statewide rules: the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopts emergency drought regulations during droughts, and California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), administered by the Department of Water Resources, sets landscape water-efficiency standards for new and rehabilitated landscapes (generally 500+ sq ft new, 2,500+ sq ft rehabilitated). Private-well owners are not metered by the County but remain subject to any state drought emergency rules.