Pima County, AZ Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- Pima County Code § 8.70.030(B)
- Enforcing agency
- Pima County Health Department
- Trigger
- Leak unrepaired after notification
- Escalation
- Water provider may disconnect service
- Minimum penalty
- $250-$600 civil infraction by stage
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Pima County only
Summary
Unincorporated Pima County bans wasting water at any time, not just during a drought. Code Section 8.70.030 makes it a violation to let water drain off your property, to run a leak after you've been notified of it, or to hose down pavement with an open nozzle.
8.70.030 Water wasting prohibited. At no time may a person waste water or use water unreasonably. Wasteful or unreasonable uses of water include but are not limited to the following practices: A. Causing or permitting water to leave a property by drainage onto adjacent property or public or private roadways or streets due to excessive irrigation and/or uncorrected leaks. B. Failing to repair a water leak following initial notification. C. Washing driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, or other impervious surface areas with an open hose or with a spray nozzle attached to an open hose or, through other means, under regular or system pressure, except when required to eliminate conditions that threaten the public health, safety, or welfare. This restriction does not apply to residential customers.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
70 of the Pima County Code, the Drought Response Plan and Water Wasting ordinance, applies countywide to the unincorporated area and its water-wasting ban runs at all times, independent of any declared drought stage. 030 defines wasteful or unreasonable use to include three specific practices. First, causing or permitting water to leave a property by drainage onto adjacent property or public or private roadways due to excessive irrigation or uncorrected leaks. 020(B)) or a water provider has flagged the leak, the property owner is on the clock to fix it.
Third, washing driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, or other impervious surfaces with an open hose or pressurized nozzle, except when needed to eliminate a public health, safety, or welfare hazard; that washing restriction expressly does not apply to residential customers. 080 covers the whole chapter: the department posts written notice on the property and mails a duplicate to the registered owner and any known responsible party, describing the violation and the correction deadline along with applicable fees and penalties. If the cited person does not comply, the department contacts the water provider, which may disconnect service, and the owner is billed for reconnection.
Violations & Fines
Failing to repair a leak after notice is a civil infraction under Section 8.70.080(B). Outside a declared drought stage the base penalty structure in Chapter 8.70 is tied to drought stages (not less than $250 at Stage 2, $400 at Stage 3, $600 at Stage 4), and each day the violation continues is a separate infraction; the Pima County Health Department can also seek injunctive relief and refer the case to the property's water provider for service disconnection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to have a leaking pipe in unincorporated Pima County?
Who enforces the water leak rule?
What happens if I don't fix a reported leak?
Does this rule apply only during a declared drought?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pima County
Compare Pima County to another location·View the Arizona water use rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.