Valley Water (Santa Clara Valley Water District) sets countywide conservation rules requiring outdoor irrigation only on assigned days, banning watering during daytime hours, and tightening cuts during declared droughts. Retailers like San Jose Water enforce locally with surcharges.
Valley Water (formally the Santa Clara Valley Water District, SCVWD) is the wholesale water and groundwater management agency for Santa Clara County and sets baseline conservation rules adopted by retailer agencies including San Jose Water Company, Great Oaks Water, the City of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View. Standard rules limit outdoor potable irrigation to assigned days (commonly two to three days per week) and ban watering between roughly 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Runoff onto sidewalks, driveways, or streets is prohibited at all times. When Valley Water or the State Water Resources Control Board declares a Stage 2 or 3 shortage, allowable days drop further (often one day per week). Drip and hand-held shutoff hoses remain allowed.
First violations typically draw written warnings; repeat offenses trigger administrative fines from $100 up to $500 per occurrence. Persistent violations during declared shortages can lead to flow restrictors and surcharges from the local retailer.
See how San Jose's lawn watering restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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