Simi Valley, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

The City of Simi Valley operates Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8 (VCWWD No. 8) as the local retail water utility for most of Simi Valley. The District's Water Conservation Program was adopted by the Board of Directors in 2009 through Ordinance No. WWD-08, which added Article 1 to Chapter 11 of Title 6 of the Simi Valley Municipal Code. Permanent (Stage I baseline) rules require customers to: water only before 9:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m.; irrigate no more than 15 minutes per day, per irrigation station or zone (the time limit does not apply to low-flow drip irrigation or to sprinklers meeting the 70% efficiency standard); eliminate any excessive irrigation flow or runoff; cease washing exterior hard surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways; use only recirculated water in decorative fountains or water features; serve water only on request at restaurants and other food-service establishments; provide hotel and motel guests the option to decline daily linen service; and use recirculated water at commercial car washes. Layered on top of the permanent rules, the Board can declare escalating Water Supply Shortage stages. On May 9, 2022, the Board adopted Resolution No. WWD-286 declaring a Stage IV Water Supply Shortage that limited outdoor watering to one day per week, effective June 1, 2022. On February 27, 2023, Resolution No. WWD-291 stepped the District back to a Stage II Water Supply Shortage and rescinded WWD-286, and on May 1, 2023 the Board adopted a Stage I (voluntary conservation) condition, rescinding WWD-291. Statewide drought emergency provisions of California Water Code Section 350 et seq. continue to apply, and the State Water Resources Control Board's Emergency Conservation Regulation (23 CCR Section 996 et seq.) makes permanent statewide prohibitions, including the ban on irrigating non-functional turf at commercial, industrial, and institutional sites. New construction and rehabilitated landscape projects in Simi Valley must also comply with California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), codified at 23 CCR Sections 490-495, which applies to new landscapes of 500 square feet or more with irrigation and to rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more.