Oxnard, CA Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)

Oxnard Code of Ordinances Sec. 22-136(B) sets permanent, year-round water-waste restrictions that apply on top of any drought-stage emergency measures adopted under Sec. 22-137. Item (7) of that list, "Prompt leak repair," makes the repair duty explicit: leaks, breaks or malfunctions in a plumbing or water distribution system must be repaired "as promptly as practical," and in every case within 72 hours of discovery of the problem or of the city's notice of the condition, whichever comes first. The same section bans other wasteful practices that overlap with leak scenarios, including run-off onto sidewalks, driveways, gutters or streets (Sec.

22-136(B)(4)) and pooling or puddling of water on hard-surfaced areas. Enforcement personnel from the police, fire, development services and public works departments, or other persons designated by the city manager, are responsible for enforcing the article's sections under Sec. 22-143. A property owner who gets a city notice of a leak and does not complete the repair inside the 72-hour window is treated the same as any other water-waste violator under the escalating penalty schedule in Sec. 22-138, which runs from the water waste article as a whole (Sec. 22-135 through Sec. 22-143).