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

Unincorporated Tehama County does not impose a countywide outdoor-irrigation day/time schedule the way some urban water districts do. The County's water policy is framed in the General Plan's Open Space & Conservation element: Policy OS-1.1 directs the County to maintain local water ordinances and to 'consider and evaluate the need for a Water Conservation Ordinance' (Measure OS-1.1b), and OS-1.1c requires projects to follow the regulations of state agencies including the Regional Water Quality Control Board and (historically) Fish and Game. The County also says it will install water-conserving landscaping on county facilities (OS-1.5c) and encourages low-flow retrofits (OS-1.1d) — encouragement rather than mandate for private homeowners. The binding restrictions come from the State Water Resources Control Board's permanent prohibitions on wasteful water uses, which apply to all Californians regardless of drought. Those prohibitions bar practices such as applying potable water to outdoor landscapes in a way that causes runoff, hosing off sidewalks and driveways, watering during or within a set period after measurable rainfall, using a hose without an automatic shut-off nozzle to wash a vehicle, and running ornamental fountains without recirculating pumps. Local water providers may add their own conservation rules. Many rural Tehama parcels rely on private wells and groundwater the County manages under its AB 3030 groundwater plan.