Santa Clara County, CA Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Repair window
- 7 days after County notice
- Enforcers
- Building Official, Code Enforcement
- Second violation fine
- $100
- Third violation fine
- $200
- Coverage
- unincorporated area only
Summary
Property owners in unincorporated Santa Clara County must fix outdoor water leaks from broken pipes, sprinklers, or irrigation within seven days of County notification, or face escalating water-conservation fines.
Except where necessary to address an immediate health or safety need or to comply with a term or condition in a permit issued by a county, state, or federal agency, the following acts are prohibited: ... (e)The failure to fix outdoor water leaks due to broken or defective plumbing, sprinkler, watering, or irrigation systems within seven days of notification by the County.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Under the County's water conservation chapter, letting an outdoor water leak from broken or defective plumbing, sprinklers, or irrigation systems go unfixed for more than seven days after the County notifies the owner is a prohibited activity in unincorporated Santa Clara County. The Director of Planning and Development, Zoning Investigators, the Building Official, or the Code Enforcement Manager can cite the property. A first violation draws only a written warning; a second within 12 months costs $100, a third $200, and each further violation within that period $500, on top of any other legal remedy the County pursues.
Violations & Fines
First violation: written warning by mail. Second violation within 12 months: $100 fine. Third: $200. Each further violation in that 12-month period: $500.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I fix the leak before the County notices?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara County to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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