Ventura County, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Ventura County, CA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- County ordinance adopted
- March 9, 2021 (NCZO landscaping update)
- Governing sections
- NCZO 8109-0.6, 8109-1.2, 8109-1.3
- New-build MWELO trigger
- 500+ sq ft landscape area
- Rehab MWELO trigger
- 2,500+ sq ft landscape area
- General Plan policy
- WR-3.2 (meet/exceed MWELO)
- Daily watering rules
- Set by local water district / state drought rules
Summary
Ventura County's Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance landscaping rules (adopted March 2021) require new and rehabilitated landscapes to meet California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). New landscapes of 500+ square feet and retrofits of 2,500+ square feet must comply. Local water districts also set day-to-day use rules.
About 40% of the water Californians use at home is used outdoors. Large water savings can be gained by efficient landscape design, installation, management, and maintenance. This is accomplished by choosing climate adapted plants, improving soil conditions, using, and maintaining high efficiency irrigation equipment and managing the irrigation schedule to fit the plants water needs as they are influenced by local climate. To increase water efficiency and better use a valuable resource, rainwater and stormwater collection and graywater and recycled water can replace or augment potable water use in landscapes. New development and retrofitted landscape water efficiency standards are governed by the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) .
Full Breakdown
3), replacing the 1992 Landscape Design Criteria and incorporating California's state-mandated water-conservation laws, including the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) required by Assembly Bill 1881. Under MWELO as applied in the County, new construction projects with an aggregate landscape area of 500 square feet or more, and rehabilitated landscape projects of 2,500 square feet or more, must submit a Landscape Documentation Package and meet water-budget standards. For landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more the Performance method applies; smaller qualifying projects may use prescriptive options.
2, requiring discretionary development to meet or exceed MWELO standards, use graywater or reclaimed water for landscaping, install low-flow fixtures, and retain stormwater for reuse or groundwater recharge. Beyond construction-stage MWELO rules, day-to-day outdoor watering schedules (such as watering days and drought-stage restrictions) are set by the local water purveyor serving each area and by the State Water Resources Control Board during statewide drought emergencies, not by a single County watering-day ordinance. Property owners should check both County MWELO requirements at the permit stage and their water district's current conservation stage.
Violations & Fines
Failing MWELO compliance can block landscape or building permit approval and final sign-off. Day-to-day overwatering violations are enforced by the local water district under its own rules, and statewide prohibitions during drought emergencies are enforced by the State Water Resources Control Board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ventura County have a landscape water ordinance?
Who sets watering days and drought restrictions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura County
How Ventura County compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Ventura County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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