The Office of Sustainability and the Environment 

Residents

SMMC: 7.16.020

1. No watering of lawns or landscapes between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on any day.
    
2. No hosing down of sidewalks, driveways, patios, alleys, parking areas or other “hardscapes.”
    
3. No runoff is permitted from lawns and landscapes into streets, alleys, or gutters at any time.
    
4. Water must not be used to fill or maintain levels in decorative fountains, ponds, lakes or displays unless a recycling system is used.
    
5. Swimming pools must not be filled or emptied unless it is a first filling of a new pool, or necessary leak repair work is being performed.
    
6. Water leaks from exterior or interior plumbing must be repaired immediately.
    
7. No washing of vehicles of any kind except with a hand-held bucket or a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle.
    
8. Restaurants must serve water only upon request and post signage indicating this restriction.

To report a violation, email us or call (310) 458-8972.

A $250 fine may be imposed for the first offense. Subsequent violations receive higher fines.

On April 1, 2003, the City’s Environmental Programs Division (EPD) began enforcement of the “No Water Waste” Ordinance by patrolling the City. Staff will try to take a photo of the violation as it is occurring.  Often times concerned residents and business owners, call or email EPD to report violations. In those instances, staff will respond as quickly as possible by visiting the site.

• Adjust your sprinkler system schedule every season.
   
• Turn off your sprinkler system if rain is forecasted.
   
• Check your irrigation system frequently to make sure it is working properly.
   
• Convert sprinkler systems to drip irrigation, where appropriate.
   
• Use a broom - instead of a hose, to clean paved areas.
   
• Attend City-sponsored landscape workshops and garden tours.
   
• Talk to your gardener to be sure they comply.

• To spot clean and deodorize paved surfaces, use a broom, a mop and warm water in a bucket. If detergents must be used, all detergent residue must be cleaned from surface areas by mopping with clean water. Dispose of the mop water in the sanitary sewer. *
   
• For urine, use an enzymatic, biodegradable cleaner, available at local pet stores.
   
• For feces, pick-up safely and flush down the toilet. To clean any residue, use an enzymatic, biodegradable cleaner, available at local pet stores.
   
• For blood, carefully use a small amount of diluted bleach in a spray bottle, mop the area and dispose of the wash water in the sanitary sewer. *
   
• If you must use water for public health and safety requirements, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board permits the use of devices that use 0.006 gallons per square foot. Protection of storm drains** is required.
   
• Take your car to a car wash that recycles water.
   
• Pick up after your pets (SMMC 4.04.370-385).

For more information on proper cleaning procedures for paved surfaces, including parking areas/structures, contact the Industrial Waste Section at (310) 458-8235, especially for businesses.

Tips For Repairing Leaks:

• Repair leaking faucets, water heaters, showers, toilets, and irrigation systems immediately.
   
• To check for leaks in the toilet, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 20 minutes, if you see colored water in the bowl, then you have got a leak.

• Make sure you drain pool water into the sanitary sewer system (i.e. sewer clean-out)*; not the street or alley.

* The sanitary sewer system collects your household wastewater from toilets, showers, bathtubs and sinks, and routes it through the plumbing system into the Hyperion Treatment Plant. Sewer clean-outs are access openings in the sewer system, located inside or outside of dwellings, which are used by plumbers for maintenance on the sewer lines.

**The storm drain system is intended to route rainwater quickly off the streets during a heavy storm, but unfortunately takes all urban runoff along with it. Chemicals, trash and debris from lawns, parking lots and streets go straight into the ocean.

Who Do I Call If I Have Questions or To Report A Violation?

This page was last modified on 07/17/2008