No. SB 508
Filed under Environment & Water.
Landscape Irrigation; Creating the “Landscape Irrigation Standards and Watering Restrictions Act”; prohibiting a person from taking certain actions regarding a landscape irrigation system unless such person is a licensed irrigation contractor or the property owner; specifying that only a licensed irrigation contractor may connect an irrigation system to a water supply; providing a purpose for landscape irrigation system standards; creating a landscape irrigation watering schedule; providing for the enforcement of the act, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDStarting July 1, 2026, only a licensed irrigation contractor or the property owner may install, repair, service, or inspect a landscape irrigation system. Even when an owner installs the rest, only a licensed contractor may connect it to a water supply.
A new statewide schedule sets watering days by address parity and time of year, bars irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and caps it at 0.75 inches and one hour per zone daily.
The new rules cover new landscapes and systems with 50 percent or more replaced, not existing, unmodified systems. Golf courses, farms, and several other uses are exempt, and no local government or water district may enforce a conflicting rule.
Violations of the system-design or watering rules draw a warning, then a $50 fine, then up to $500. Starting in 2027, new spray sprinkler heads sold or installed must carry a label certifying water-efficiency compliance.
AINo one may install, maintain, alter, repair, service, or inspect a landscape irrigation system unless they are a licensed irrigation contractor or the property owner working on their own property. Even then, only a licensed irrigation contractor may connect the system to a water supply.
AIDuring daylight saving time, odd-numbered addresses may water Wednesday or Saturday, even addresses Thursday or Sunday, and nonresidential properties Tuesday or Friday; outside daylight saving time each group is cut to one day. Watering may not happen between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and is capped at 0.75 inches and one hour per zone a day.
AIOnce this act is in force, no city, county, or water management district may adopt or enforce any law, rule, or regulation that conflicts with its landscape irrigation standards or watering schedule, centralizing irrigation regulation at the state level.
AIThe act's design standards, permitting, and watering schedule apply only to new commercial, residential, and institutional landscapes and to existing systems undergoing 50 percent or more replacement. It exempts agricultural production, greenhouses, nurseries, cemeteries, golf courses, athletic fields, playgrounds, and vegetable, fruit, and nut plantings entirely.
AIState contracting law now recognizes a dedicated irrigation-contractor license covering sale, installation, design, consultation, maintenance, and repair, and connecting a system to a private or public water supply, including wells in unincorporated areas. A person may sit for the exam after 60 hours of approved instruction.
AIA first violation of the system-design or watering-schedule rules draws only a written warning; a second draws a $50 fine; every violation after that draws a fine of up to $500. Officials may not skip straight to a fine without first warning.
AIBeginning July 1, 2027, no one may sell, offer for sale, lease, or install a new spray sprinkler body for pay unless it carries a mark or label certifying it meets federal water-efficiency and performance criteria.