Water restrictions in Union City, CA — also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance — set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Union City's water purveyor is the Alameda County Water District (ACWD), serving the Tri-City area. ACWD enforces permanent water-waste prohibitions year-round and adds day-limited irrigation only when its Board declares a shortage emergency.
Water service in Union City is provided by the Alameda County Water District (ACWD), serving Fremont, Newark, and Union City. The City runs no retail water utility and imposes no watering-day schedule; it defers to ACWD. ACWD's water shortage ordinance (Ord. 2008-01 and successors) bans waste at all times: irrigation causing runoff onto sidewalks or streets; hosing off driveways; irrigating in the rain; and failing to fix leaks within 72 hours. When the ACWD Board declares a shortage emergency, mandatory limits apply — in the recent Tri-City emergency, lawns could be watered only one day every other week November through February. As of 2026 ACWD is not under mandatory rationing, so the year-round waste prohibitions apply. Confirm the current stage
ACWD enforces its restrictions through customer notices and, for repeat waste during a declared emergency, escalating penalties and possible flow restriction. Union City does not separately fine residents; enforcement runs through ACWD's Water Waste Reporting form.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Union City prohibits entering or remaining in any public park, playground, plaza, or recreation area between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. under UCMC Chapter 12.28, unl...
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Union City's development standards under UCMC require outdoor lighting to be shielded so it does not trespass onto adjacent residential windows and private o...
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Union City has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but UCMC general development regulations require outdoor lighting to be shielded so it does not spill onto adjac...
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Union City regulates temporary signs, including garage and yard sale signs, under UCMC Chapter 18.30. Such signs may not be posted more than 14 days before a...
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Union City allows political and campaign signs on private property with the owner's consent but prohibits them in parks, public rights-of-way, sidewalks, and...
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Union City has no standalone tiny-house ordinance. A tiny home on a permanent foundation is reviewed as an accessory dwelling unit under UCMC Chapter 18.34, ...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Alameda County.
See how other cities in Alameda County handle water restrictions.
See how Union City's water restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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