San Jose Water Restrictions 2026

Silicon Valley's mix of clay and loam soils benefits from cycle-and-soak: 3 minutes, 20-minute pause, 3 minutes, shed-free on slopes.

Valley Water's $3/sq ft turf rebate covers up to 3,000 sq ft per household, front-yard strips are the easiest permit-free removal areas.

Bermuda is San Jose's most drought-tolerant lawn grass; switch from tall fescue to a Bermuda/Kurapia hybrid for 40% water savings.

Install a smart controller with PG&E and Valley Water rebates stacked, up to $200 total back on Hydrawise or Rachio units.

Reuse laundry-to-landscape greywater for ornamental trees, California Plumbing Code allows simple laundry systems without a permit.

Let lawns go golden-dormant June through September; Bermuda recovers fully within 2 weeks of fall rain resuming.

Drip-irrigate all vegetable beds and fruit trees (exempt from day-of-week limits), prioritize edibles over decorative turf.

San Jose's older homes often have pre-1980 galvanized irrigation mainlines, inspect for leaks at the meter when everything is off.

Replace single-head spray nozzles with matched-precipitation rotary nozzles; 25–40% more efficient on typical Silicon Valley lawns.

Group plants by water need (hydrozone) and run separate valves for trees, shrubs, and turf, simplifies compliance with zone-by-zone limits.

Track meter use weekly at sjwater.com 'My H2O', Stage 2 budgets flag homes using more than 15 gal/person/day for outdoor use.