Drought Brings New Water Rules

Marin County has updated water rules due to consecutive years of drought. The water shortage has hit not only Marin but most western states as well.

Pool owners take note since some of the new water rules affect gardens and pools:

Decorative lawns are now banned in commercial, institutional, and industrial sites.
Customers must fix leaks within 48 hours of discovery.
Sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, or any other hard-surfaced areas shall not be washed with a hose.
All garden hoses must have shut-off nozzles.
Non-recirculating decorative water fountains shall not be refilled or topped off.
Customers shall prevent irrigation system overspray or runoff.
Customers shall prevent excess water runoff from flowing onto the public right-of-way.
Irrigation is not permitted between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Customers may water landscapes or gardens with overhead sprinkler irrigation systems up to twice a week (please note: watering days are not assigned).
Customers may water landscapes or gardens with drip irrigation systems up to three times a week (please note: watering days are not assigned).
Potable water shall not be used for irrigating during and within 48 hours after rainfall.
Turf located in public street medians shall not be watered.
All recreational pools and spas shall have covers to reduce evaporation.
Non-recirculating systems for conveyer carwashes and single-pass cooling systems are prohibited for new connections.
Reverse osmosis water purifying systems must be installed with an automatic shutoff unit
Sewer cleaning/flushing should be done using recycled water when available without having to haul by truck and whenever reasonably possible.

Violations and Fines

These rules have been updated on June 10, 2022, and violations of any of the water rules will have warnings and fines.