Los Angeles County Municipal Code Ch. 20.09 Maintaining Existing Water-Efficient Landscapes

All existing landscaped areas within the county in which water is provided to irrigate, including golf courses, greenbelts, common areas, multifamily housing, schools, businesses, cemeteries, parks, and publicly owned landscapes are encouraged to have a landscape irrigation audit at least every five years.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

No person, firm or corporation shall waste water through inefficient and inappropriate landscape irrigation by allowing runoff, low-head drainage, overspray, or other similar conditions where water flows onto adjacent areas not part of the irrigated area such as adjacent property, nonirrigated areas, walks, roadways, or structures. All applicable provisions of Title 11, Chapter 11.38, Part 4, beginning with Section 11.38.620, shall apply to this chapter. Penalties for violation of these prohibitions are presented in Chapter 11.38, Part 4. Penalties for violations of irrigation practices not covered in Chapter 11.38 shall be punishable by a fine of $100.00 for the first infraction and $500.00 each for subsequent infractions. Such enforcement will be in accordance with the provisions of this code.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

All water purveyors will be provided the site address and landscape irrigation audit schedules, certificates of substantial conformance, etc., of all landscaped areas within their service area required under Chapter 71 of Title 26 and subject to audit requirements of Section 20.09.040.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

A.

All water purveyors will be required to provide the director of public works copies of water consumption for the previous 12 months at each site subject to an audit under the provisions of Chapter 71 of Title 26. All property owners with sites subject to a water audit whose water source is not from a water purveyor shall provide the director of public works records of irrigation water consumption for the previous 12 months.

B.

For all sites subject to an audit where the site's water consumption indicates that the water usage is less than or equal to the maximum applied water allowance for that project site, an audit shall not be required.

For the sites subject to an audit under the codes, the audit shall be in accordance with the latest California Landscape Water Management Program as described in the latest edition of the Landscape Irrigation Auditor Handbook; the entire document is incorporated into this code by reference in Section 7105(i)(1) of Title 26 (Building Code), and contain a landscape audit package as required in Section 7103(b) of Title 26, utilizing information supplied in accordance with subsection A of this section.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

All sites subject to an audit as required in Section 20.09.040 shall be assessed on their property tax bill $50.00 per metering point per year for each meter that provides water for that site's irrigation. Such assessment shall be made available to the director of public works for enforcing this chapter.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

The water purveyor may recover from the customer the cost for providing water-consumption records to the director of public works as required by Section 20.09.040.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

A.

For all sites subject to landscape irrigation audits under Chapter 71 of Title 26 that consume more water than is permitted as determined by the Maximum Applied Water Allowance prepared under the provisions of Chapter 71 of Title 26 shall have a detailed audit to determine the cause of excessive water use. The property owner shall be responsible for having this audit prepared by a qualified person licensed or registered to prepare such work under the Business and Professions Code. Such audit shall be in accordance with the latest edition of the Landscape Water Auditor Handbook referenced in Section 7105(i) of Title 26.

B.

The audit shall be based on the Landscaping Document Package described in Chapter 71 of Title 26. This package may have been prepared as part of a landscaping permit or as part of this or previous audits. The audit shall contain recommendations for reducing water consumption to within the Maximum Applied Water Allowance as defined in Chapter 71 of Title 26. Such recommendations may include replacing the irrigation system with a more efficient system, rehabilitating the landscaping under the provisions of Chapter 71 of Title 26 or improving maintenance procedures defined in the Landscaping Document Package. The audit containing the recommendations for compliance with this code and estimated date established by the

property owner for the completion of these recommendations shall be submitted to the director of public works for code compliance verification.

C.

Another water audit in accordance with Section 20.09.040 will be required one year after the completion date. A fee of $200.00 shall be paid to the director to review the water consumption records. In addition to this, the director shall recover from the property owner the costs to perform this audit review if another audit should be required and may record a notice with the county recorder's office that the property is in violation of this code. The remedy provided by this recordation is cumulative to any other enforcement actions permitted in this code.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)

Only new and rehabilitated landscaping shall require a permit under the provisions of Title 26. No permits are required under this chapter to replace or rehabilitate any existing landscaping if a registered landscape architect certifies that the replacement landscape design will not result in an increase in water consumption.

(Ord. 92-0135 § 3 (part), 1992.)