San Jose, CA Water Use Rules: Leak Reporting Duty (2026)
Key Facts
- Standing deadline to start repair
- 5 working days
- Water-shortage deadline (40%+ shortage)
- 48 hours
- Applies to
- owner, manager, or responsible operator
- Covers
- pipes, faucets, fixtures, sprinklers, irrigation
- Enforcing rule
- SJMC § 1.08.010 general penalty
Summary
San Jose owners and managers must start repairing leaking or broken water pipes, faucets, fixtures, sprinklers or irrigation systems within five working days of discovering the problem, as a standing water-waste rule.
No owner or manager or other person responsible for the day-to-day operation of any premises shall fail to initiate repair of any leaking, broken or defective water pipes, faucets, plumbing fixtures, other water service appliances, sprinklers, watering or irrigation systems within five (5) working days after the owner, manager or other responsible person knew or should have known of such leaks, breaks or defects.B.No owner or manager or other person responsible for the day-to-day operation of any premises shall fail to complete repair of any leaking, broken or defective water pipes, faucets, plumbing fixtures, other water service appliances, sprinklers, watering or irrigation systems, as soon as practical after initiation of such repair. (Ord. 24600.)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code § 15.10.210 makes this a permanent, year-round conservation duty (Part 2, "intended to apply to the use of water from all sources on an on-going basis"), not something triggered only by a drought declaration. Any owner, manager, or person responsible for day-to-day operation of a premises who fails to initiate repair of a leaking, broken or defective water pipe, faucet, plumbing fixture, water service appliance, sprinkler, or irrigation system within five working days of knowing or should-have-known about it violates the section, and must then complete the repair as soon as practical. A separate, tighter clock applies only during a declared 40%+ water shortage: § 15.10.355 shortens the initiate-repair window to 48 hours while that emergency resolution is in effect.
Violations & Fines
Violation of Title 15's water-waste rules is enforced under the city's general penalty, Municipal Code § 1.08.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail, unless charged as an infraction ($100 first offense, $200 second, $500 third within a year, then misdemeanor on a fourth). Each day the leak goes unrepaired past the deadline is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to report a leak, or just fix it?
Is the deadline always five days?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Jose
California rules heatmap·Compare San Jose to another location·View the California water use rules overview
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Leak Reporting Duty in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle leak reporting duty.