4935-4785-8888v2/022283-0547 1
ORDINANCE NO. ____
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER
8.30, REPEALING AND REPLACING CHAPTER 8.50,
AND AMENDING CHAPTER 12.20 OF THE LANCASTER
MUNICIPAL CODE, RELATING TO LANDSCAPING
INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE, WATER
EFFICIENT LANDSCAPE DESIGN, AND ROOT
BARRIER REQUIREMENTS, AND ADOPTING BY
REFERENCE THE STATE MODEL WATER EFFICIENT
LANDSCAPE ORDINANCE, CALIFORNIA CODE OF
REGULATIONS, TITLE 23, SECTIONS 490 THROUGH
495
WHEREAS, the City of Lancaster (“City”) is a municipal corporation and a charter city organized under the Constitution and laws of the State of California. Under article XI, section 5 of the California Constitution and section 101 of the City’s Charter, the City has plenary authority over municipal affairs, and has in addition the police power conferred by article XI, section 7 of the California Constitution to enact regulations protecting the public health, safety and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 65591– 65599 (“Act”), requires each local agency to adopt either the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance promulgated by the Department of Water Resources or a local water efficient landscape ordinance that is, “based on evidence in the record, at least as effective in conserving water as the updated model ordinance adopted by the department” (Cal. Gov’t Code § 65595(c)); if a local agency does not do so, the model ordinance applies within the agency’s jurisdiction by operation of law and “shall have the same force and effect as if adopted by the local agency” (Cal. Gov’t Code § 65595(d)); and WHEREAS, the Act applies to charter cities because it defines “local agency” to include “any city, county, or city and county, including a charter city or charter county,” (Cal.
Gov’t Code § 65592(c)) and declares that it “addresses a matter of statewide concern and applies to all cities and counties, including charter cities and charter counties” (Cal. Gov’t Code § 65593(h)); and
WHEREAS, the City’s current water efficient landscape regulations, codified at chapter 8.50 of the Lancaster Municipal Code, were enacted by Ordinance No. 1070 (2019) and drafted to conform to the version of the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance then in effect; and
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WHEREAS, the Department of Water Resources has since repealed and readopted the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance in restructured form, operative January 2, 2025; and
WHEREAS, among the substantive consequences of that restructuring, the reference evapotranspiration value published for the City was revised downward from 71.1 inches annually to 65.3 inches annually; and
WHEREAS, section 10608.14 of the California Water Code, added by Assembly Bill 1572 (Stats. 2023, ch. 849), prohibits the use of potable water to irrigate nonfunctional turf on specified properties on a phased schedule; properties owned by local governments and local or regional public agencies are subject to the prohibition commencing January 1, 2027 (Cal. Water Code § 10608.14(a)(2)); and
WHEREAS, the City has historically published landscape and irrigation design criteria in a separate technical document, the City of Lancaster Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards, adopted and amended from time to time by the City Council; and WHEREAS, section 16.24.280 of the Lancaster Municipal Code requires that landscaping within landscape maintenance district parkways and easements comply with City of Lancaster Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards, but Chapter 8.50 as presently codified does not reference the City of Lancaster Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards, does not state the procedure by which they are adopted, and does not delegate authority to amend them; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance adopts a code by reference within the meaning of Cal.
Gov’t Code § 50022.1, and has been enacted in accordance with the procedure prescribed by Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 50022.2 through 50022.10 (i.e., the primary code adopted by reference is identified in the title of this ordinance, notice of the public hearing was published in the manner required by Cal. Gov’t Code § 6066, and a certified copy of the primary code was on file with the City Clerk and available for public inspection for at least fifteen (15) days before the public hearing); and
WHEREAS, the requirements imposed by this ordinance are, in the aggregate, at least as effective in conserving water as the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance; where this ordinance departs from the model ordinance it does so in the direction of greater stringency, and the record of this proceeding, including the staff report and the administrative record of the public hearing, contains evidence supporting that determination (Cal. Gov’t Code § 65595(c)(1)); and
WHEREAS, a duly noticed public hearing on this ordinance was held before the City Council on September 8, 2026, at which all interested persons were afforded an opportunity to be heard and to present evidence, and notice of that hearing was published as required by law.
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NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Incorporation of Recitals. The foregoing recitals are true, correct, and incorporated as a substantive part of this ordinance.
SECTION 2. California Environmental Quality Act. The City Council finds that this ordinance is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 21000 et seq.) (“CEQA”). The ordinance consists of actions taken by the City, as a regulatory agency, as authorized by state and local ordinance to assure the maintenance, restoration and enhancement of a natural resource — the water supply and the urban forest — within the meaning of Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15307, and to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement and protection of the environment within the meaning of Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15308. The regulatory processes established and continued by this ordinance, including plan check and design review of the landscape documentation package, the certificate of completion, and the irrigation audit, are themselves procedures for protection of the environment, as each exemption requires. The ordinance authorizes no construction activity and effects no relaxation of standards allowing environmental degradation; each departure from the standards it replaces is in the direction of greater stringency. The ordinance is further exempt under Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that its adoption may have a significant effect on the environment. The City Council further finds that none of the exceptions in Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15300.2 applies: the ordinance is citywide in application rather than locationspecific, presents no cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type, presents no unusual circumstance, and affects no scenic highway, hazardous waste site, or historical resource. Staff is directed to file a notice of exemption in accordance with Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15062.
SECTION 3. Amendment of Chapter 8.30.
A. Section 8.30.010 of the Lancaster Municipal Code is amended to revise the definition of “Parkway” and to add a definition of “Root barrier,” each to read as follows, with the remaining definitions in that section unchanged:
“Parkway” means all areas between the curb and
the sidewalk, and, where no sidewalk exists, all
areas between the curb and the public right-ofway line, in front of or alongside any lot or parcel.
“Root barrier” means a manufactured panel,
ribbed or otherwise configured to deflect roots
downward, installed vertically in the soil adjacent
to a curb, sidewalk, utility or other improvement
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for the purpose of directing tree root growth away
from that improvement.
B. Section 8.30.065 of the Lancaster Municipal Code is amended to read as follows:
8.30.065 Maintenance of parkways.
It shall be the duty of property owners to provide
for the maintenance and replacement of all trees,
grass and landscaping located in the public
parkway located immediately in front of or
alongside of their property in the manner required
by Section 8.30.060, and to comply with Chapter
12.20 with respect to street trees located in that
parkway. Any tree planted or replaced in a
parkway shall be installed with a root barrier as
required by Section 8.50.090 and Section
12.20.070.
C. Subsection A of Section 8.30.040 of the Lancaster Municipal Code is amended to read as follows:
A. Multiple Family Residential Development. All
multiple family residential developments shall be
landscaped in accordance with the requirements
of Chapter 8.50 and the City of Lancaster
Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards
adopted pursuant to Section 8.50.080. Such
landscaping shall include installation of an
irrigation system and an appropriate combination
of plant materials and hardscape.
SECTION 4. Repeal and Replacement of Chapter 8.50. Chapter 8.50 of Title 8 of the Lancaster Municipal Code is hereby repealed and replaced in its entirety by a new Chapter 8.50 that is attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein.
SECTION 5. Amendment of Chapter 12.20.
A. Section 12.20.010 of the Lancaster Municipal Code is amended to revise the definition of “Parkway” and to add a definition of “Root barrier,” each to read as follows, with the remaining definitions in that section unchanged:
“Parkway” means all areas between the curb and
the sidewalk, and, where no sidewalk exists, all
areas between the curb and the public right-of-
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way line, in front of or alongside any lot or
parcel.
“Root barrier” means a manufactured panel,
ribbed or otherwise configured to deflect roots
downward, installed vertically in the soil adjacent
to a curb, sidewalk, utility or other improvement
for the purpose of directing tree root growth away
from that improvement.
B. A new Section 12.20.070 is added to the Lancaster Municipal Code to read as follows:
12.20.070 Root barriers.
A. Every street tree planted, replaced or relocated
after the effective date of the ordinance codified
in this section shall be installed with a root barrier
meeting the requirements of Section 8.50.090 and
the City of Lancaster Landscape and Irrigation
Design Standards, where a root barrier is required
by Section 8.50.090(A) or (B).
B. Subsection (A) applies whether the street tree
is installed by the City, by a developer, by a
contractor, or by the abutting property owner, and
applies to street trees fronting residential,
commercial, institutional and industrial property
alike.
C. No street tree shall be planted in the public
right-of-way without the prior approval of the
Director of Community Development as to
species and location, and no such approval shall
be given unless the root barrier required by this
section is provided for.
D. The requirements of this section are in
addition to, and do not limit, the duties imposed
by Section 12.20.020 or the liability imposed by
Section 12.20.050.
SECTION 6. Conforming Amendment to Chapter 8.48. Subsection (E) of Section
8.48.030 of the Lancaster Municipal Code is amended to read as follows:
E. Irrigating lawns and/or landscaped
improvements between ten (10) a.m. and ten (10)
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p.m. except from October 31st through the
following March 1st. Nothing in this subsection
authorizes overhead irrigation at any time
prohibited by Chapter 8.50 or by the Model Water
Efficient Landscape Ordinance adopted by
reference in Section 8.50.030.
SECTION 7. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, that decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase and portion thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or portions be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 8. Construction with State Law. This ordinance is intended to be consistent with, and no provision of it shall be construed to authorize any act prohibited by, the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, §§ 490–495, the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 65591–65599, or Cal. Water Code § 10608.14. To the extent any provision of this ordinance is less stringent than a requirement of state law, the state requirement controls.
SECTION 9. Effective Date. This ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after its adoption.
SECTION 10. Publication and Certification. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this ordinance and shall cause it to be published or posted as required by law.
I, Andrea Alexander, of the City of Lancaster, do hereby certify that the foregoing ordinance was regularly introduced and placed upon its first reading on the __________ day of ________________, 2026, and placed upon its second reading and adoption at a regular meeting of the City Council on the ____ day of ________________, 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
ATTEST: APPROVED:
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____________________________ ______________________________ ANDREA ALEXANDER R. REX PARRIS
City Clerk Mayor
City of Lancaster City of Lancaster
STATE OF CALIFORNIA }
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES }ss
CITY OF LANCASTER }
CERTIFICATION OF ORDINANCE
CITY COUNCIL
I, ________________________________, ___________________________________ City of Lancaster, California, do hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of the original Ordinance No. , for which the original is on file in my office.
WITNESS MY HAND AND THE SEAL OF THE CITY OF LANCASTER, on this _________ day of ________________, ________.
(seal)
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EXHIBIT A
CHAPTER 8.50
LANDSCAPING INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE
8.50.010 Purpose and intent.
8.50.020 Definitions.
8.50.030 Adoption of the model ordinance.
8.50.040 Applicability.
8.50.050 Local amendments to the model ordinance.
8.50.060 Landscape documentation package.
8.50.070 Water budget.
8.50.080 Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards.
8.50.090 Root barriers.
8.50.100 Nonfunctional turf.
8.50.105 Pool and spa covers.
8.50.110 Certificate of completion.
8.50.120 Existing landscapes; water waste prevention.
8.50.130 Maintenance.
8.50.140 Irrigation scheduling.
8.50.150 Reporting.
8.50.160 Waivers and variances.
8.50.170 Enforcement and penalties.
8.50.180 Reference evapotranspiration.
8.50.190 Relationship to water purveyor programs.
8.50.010 Purpose and intent.
The purpose of this chapter is to promote water conservation and the values and benefits of sustainable landscaping practices; to establish a structure for planning, designing, installing, maintaining and managing water efficient landscapes in new construction and rehabilitated projects; to establish provisions for water management and water waste prevention in existing landscapes; to protect public improvements and utilities from damage caused by tree roots; and to satisfy the obligations imposed on the City by the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 65591–65599, and by Cal. Water Code § 10608.14.
8.50.020 Definitions.
Terms used in this chapter have the meanings given them in Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 490.2, except that the following terms have the meanings given below, and except that any term defined both in that section and in this section shall have the meaning given in this section. “Director” means the Director of Community Development or his or her designee. “Design Standards” means the City of Lancaster Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards adopted pursuant to Section 8.50.080. “Model ordinance” means the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, div. 2, ch. 2.7, §§ 490–495, and its 4935-4785-8888v2/022283-0547 A-2
appendices. “Nonfunctional turf” and “functional turf” have the meanings given them in Cal.
Water Code § 10608.12. “Root barrier” means a manufactured panel, ribbed or otherwise configured to deflect roots downward, installed vertically in the soil adjacent to a curb, sidewalk, utility or other improvement for the purpose of directing tree root growth away from that improvement. “Street tree” has the meaning given it in Section 12.20.010.
8.50.030 Adoption of the model ordinance.
A. The model ordinance, as it exists on the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, is hereby adopted by reference and incorporated into this chapter as though fully set forth herein, subject to the amendments, additions and deletions stated in this chapter.
B. Subsection (A) adopts the model ordinance as of that date and does not adopt subsequent amendments. Upon any amendment of the model ordinance by the Department of Water Resources, the Director shall report to the City Council, within one hundred eighty (180) days, whether any provision of this chapter or of the Design Standards has become less stringent than the model ordinance as amended, and shall present to the City Council such amendments to this chapter as are necessary. Nothing in this subsection relieves any person of an obligation imposed directly by state law.
C. Where a provision of this chapter or of the Design Standards and a provision of the model ordinance both apply and the two differ, the more stringent provision shall control.
D. A certified copy of the model ordinance shall be filed with the City Clerk not less than fifteen (15) days before the public hearing on the ordinance codified in this chapter, and shall thereafter be maintained on file in the office of the City Clerk and available for public inspection, as required by Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 50022.6 and 50022.8.
8.50.040 Applicability.
A. This chapter applies to (1) new development projects with an aggregate landscape area equal to or greater than five hundred (500) square feet requiring a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review; (2) rehabilitated landscape projects with an aggregate landscape area equal to or greater than two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet requiring a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review; (3) all landscaping installed, replaced or maintained within a landscape maintenance district, a lighting maintenance district or the public right-of-way; (4) existing landscapes, as to Sections 8.50.100 and 8.50.120 only; and (5) cemeteries, as provided in the model ordinance.
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B. Sections 8.50.090 and 8.50.100 apply regardless of the size of the landscape area.
C This chapter does not apply to registered local, state or federal historical sites; ecological restoration projects that do not require a permanent irrigation system; mined-land reclamation projects that do not require a permanent irrigation system; or existing plant collections that are part of botanical gardens or arboretums open to the public.
8.50.050 Local amendments to the model ordinance.
The model ordinance is adopted subject to the following amendments and additions, each of which the City Council finds to be at least as effective in conserving water as the provision it supplements:
A. Turf limitation. Turf shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the landscape area in residential landscapes. There shall be no turf in nonresidential landscapes, except that turf may be installed in a recreation area approved by the Director which qualifies as a special landscape area under the performance option of the model ordinance. No turf shall be installed in a nonresidential landscape in a project complying through the prescriptive option, as required by Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 492(c)(3)(C). This limitation applies under both the prescriptive option and the performance option of the model ordinance.
B. Narrow and irregular areas. Consistent with Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, §§ 493.2.2(d)(6) and 492(c)(3)(C), landscape areas less than ten (10) feet in width in any direction, and irregularly shaped landscape areas, shall be irrigated with subsurface irrigation or other low volume technology producing no runoff or overspray. Turf shall not be installed in a parkway less than ten (10) feet in width.
C. Turf on slopes. Installation of turf is prohibited on any slope steeper than twenty-five percent (25%), that is, any slope having more than one (1) foot of vertical rise for every four (4) feet of horizontal run.
D. Watering window. Irrigation of lawns and landscaped improvements is prohibited between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., except from October 31st through the following March 1st, as provided in Section 8.48.030(E).
Overhead irrigation shall in no event be scheduled outside the window permitted by Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 493.4. Where the hours permitted by this subsection, by Chapter 8.48, by the model ordinance, or by the local retail water purveyor differ, the stricter shall apply. Operation of the irrigation system outside the watering window is permitted for auditing and system maintenance, and where weather conditions prevent irrigation within it. 4935-4785-8888v2/022283-0547 A-4
E. Recycled water. The installation of recycled water irrigation systems, including dual distribution systems, shall be required to allow for the current and future use of recycled water unless a written exemption has been granted by the local water purveyor stating that recycled water meeting all public health codes and standards is not available and will not become available in the foreseeable future.
F. High water use plants. High water use plants, characterized by a plant factor of
0.7 to 1.0, are prohibited in street medians.
G. Design Standards. Every landscape documentation package shall comply with the Design Standards in addition to this chapter and the model ordinance.
8.50.060 Landscape documentation package.
A project subject to this chapter shall submit a landscape documentation package containing the elements required by the model ordinance and by the Design Standards. No building permit, landscape permit, plan check approval or design review approval shall be issued for a project subject to this chapter until the Director has approved the landscape documentation package. Upon approval, the Director shall file a copy of the water efficient landscape worksheet in the project file.
8.50.070 Water budget.
A. The Maximum Applied Water Allowance and the Estimated Total Water Use shall be calculated as provided in Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 493.3. The Estimated Total Water Use shall not exceed the Maximum Applied Water Allowance.
B. The maximum evapotranspiration adjustment factor is 0.55 for residential regular landscape areas, 0.45 for nonresidential regular landscape areas, and
1.0 for new and existing non-rehabilitated special landscape areas.
C. For purposes of estimating total water use, average irrigation efficiency is 0.75 for overhead irrigation systems and 0.81 for drip irrigation systems.
D. Plant factors shall be taken from the Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS) or from horticultural researchers with academic institutions or professional associations as approved by the Department of Water Resources.
8.50.080 Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards.
A. Adoption. The City Council shall adopt, by resolution, a technical document entitled the City of Lancaster Landscape and Irrigation Design Standards, which shall prescribe the design, materials, installation and inspection requirements for landscaping and irrigation subject to this chapter. 4935-4785-8888v2/022283-0547 A-5
B. Effect. Compliance with the Design Standards is mandatory for every project subject to this chapter and for all landscaping within a landscape maintenance district, a lighting maintenance district or the public right-of-way.
C. Amendment by the City Council. The Design Standards may be amended by resolution of the City Council.
D. Administrative amendment. The Director may amend the Design Standards without further action of the City Council where the amendment (1) conforms the Design Standards to this chapter, to the model ordinance, or to any other provision of state or federal law; (2) updates a manufacturer specification, product designation, standard detail drawing, plant list entry, form or appendix; (3) corrects a typographical error, a cross-reference or a calculation; or (4) makes the Design Standards more stringent. The Director may not, by administrative amendment, make the Design Standards less stringent than this chapter or the model ordinance, alter a numeric water conservation standard, or expand or contract the class of projects to which the Design Standards apply.
E. Record. The Director shall maintain a current copy of the Design Standards on file with the City Clerk and shall record every amendment, whether adopted by the City Council or made administratively, in an amendments log maintained as the first page of the Design Standards, stating the date and the adopting resolution number or the administrative authority relied upon.
F. Conflict. In the event of a conflict between the Design Standards and this chapter, the model ordinance, or any other provision of the Lancaster Municipal Code, the Code and the model ordinance control, and the Director shall conform the Design Standards by administrative amendment under subsection (D).
8.50.090 Root barriers.
A Requirement. A root barrier shall be installed at the time of planting for every tree planted, replaced or relocated as part of a project subject to this chapter, and for every street tree, where the center of the trunk of the tree at the time of planting is within eight (8) feet of a curb, gutter, sidewalk, pedestrian trail, driveway, wall, building, trash enclosure, or other hardscape improvement, or within eight (8) feet of a public sewer, water main, electrical, gas or telecommunications facility.
B. Tree wells. A root barrier shall be installed in every tree well, and for every tree planted in a parkway, median or other landscaped area within the public right-of-way, without regard to the distance stated in subsection (A). 4935-4785-8888v2/022283-0547 A-6
C. New improvements adjacent to existing trees. Where a curb, gutter, sidewalk, driveway or other hardscape improvement is constructed or reconstructed within eight (8) feet of the center of the trunk of an existing tree that is to remain, a root barrier shall be installed along the improvement at the time of construction, unless the Director determines that installation would cause greater damage to the tree than it would prevent.
D. Specification. Root barriers shall be of a linear, mechanical-deflection type, installed vertically and continuously adjacent and parallel to the improvement to be protected, with the top of the barrier flush with finished grade. Root barriers shall be not less than eighteen (18) inches in depth and not less than ten (10) linear feet in length, centered on the trunk, or such greater depth or length as the Design Standards require for the species and location. Root barriers shall be of injection molded high density polyethylene or an equivalent material approved by the Director, not less than 0.085 inch in thickness, with integral vertical anti-lift ribs. Barriers shall not encircle the root ball.
E. Design Standards. The Design Standards shall include a standard detail drawing for root barrier installation, and may prescribe additional or greater requirements by species, by planting location or by improvement type.
F. Plans. The location, type and dimensions of every root barrier required by this section shall be shown on the landscape design plan and on the applicable improvement plans, and installation shall be verified before the certificate of completion is accepted.
G. Alternatives. The Director may accept structural soil, a suspended pavement system, or another engineered alternative in place of a root barrier where the applicant demonstrates, by the report of a licensed landscape architect or a certified arborist, that the alternative will provide equal or greater protection to the improvement and equal or greater rooting volume for the tree.
H. Maintenance and replacement. A root barrier required by this section shall be maintained in place. Where a tree in a parkway is removed and replaced, the replacement tree shall be installed with a root barrier meeting this section, whether or not the tree removed was so installed.
8.50.100 Nonfunctional turf.
A The use of potable water to irrigate nonfunctional turf is prohibited on the properties and commencing on the dates set forth in Cal. Water Code § 10608.14(a).
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B. Without limiting subsection (A), the use of potable water to irrigate nonfunctional turf on property owned by the City, and on property within a landscape maintenance district or a lighting maintenance district maintained by the City, is prohibited commencing January 1, 2027.
C. Subsections (A) and (B) do not prohibit the use of potable water to the extent necessary to ensure the health of trees and other perennial non-turf plantings, or to address an immediate health and safety need, as provided in Cal. Water Code § 10608.14(b).
D. No new nonfunctional turf shall be installed in any landscape subject to this chapter.
E. The Director shall, on or before January 1, 2027, complete an inventory of turf on property owned or maintained by the City, classifying each area as functional or nonfunctional turf within the meaning of Cal. Water Code § 10608.12, and shall report the inventory to the City Council together with a schedule for conversion of nonfunctional turf.
8.50.105 Pool and spa covers.
Every swimming pool, spa and other water feature constructed, installed or replaced after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, and located on property subject to this chapter, shall be equipped with a cover capable of substantially reducing evaporation from the surface of the water when the pool, spa or water feature is not in use.
The cover shall be installed before the certificate of completion is accepted or before final inspection, whichever occurs first. This section does not apply to a pool, spa or water feature in existence on that effective date, and does not apply to a public swimming pool as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 115921 during hours of public operation. This section imposes no requirement that a cover be deployed at any particular time.
8.50.110 Certificate of completion.
Upon completion of a landscape project subject to this chapter, the project applicant shall submit a certificate of completion package containing the elements described in Cal.
Code Regs., tit. 23, § 494 and required by the Design Standards, including the irrigation audit report required by Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 493.6, together with documentation verifying installation of every root barrier required by Section 8.50.090. The Director shall not accept the certificate of completion until that documentation is provided.
8.50.120 Existing landscapes; water waste prevention.
A. The City shall prevent water waste resulting from inefficient landscape irrigation by prohibiting runoff from leaving the target landscape due to low head drainage, overspray, or other similar conditions where water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, walks, roadways, parking lots or structures.
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B. Restrictions regarding overspray and runoff may be modified where the landscape area is adjacent to permeable surfacing and no runoff occurs, or where the adjacent non-permeable surfaces are designed and constructed to drain entirely to landscaping.
C. The Director may require an irrigation survey, an irrigation audit or an irrigation water use analysis of an existing landscape as a condition of abating a violation of this section.
8.50.130 Maintenance.
All landscaping and irrigation systems installed pursuant to this chapter shall be maintained in accordance with a regular maintenance schedule submitted with the certificate of completion, and, as to residential landscaping, in accordance with Section 8.30.060.
Repair of irrigation equipment shall be made with the originally specified components, their equivalents, or components of greater efficiency.
8.50.140 Irrigation scheduling.
Irrigation schedules shall be developed, managed and evaluated to utilize the minimum amount of water required to maintain plant health, shall comply with Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 493.4 and with Section 8.50.050(D), and shall be regulated by automatic irrigation controllers using current reference evapotranspiration data or soil moisture sensor data.
8.50.150 Reporting.
The Director shall prepare and submit such reports concerning implementation of this chapter as are required by Cal. Code Regs., tit. 23, § 495, or as the Department of Water Resources may otherwise require.
8.50.160 Waivers and variances.
A. The Director may waive or modify one or more requirements of this chapter where unusual difficulties make their strict application impracticable and upon a written determination that the waiver or modification is consistent with the purpose and intent of this chapter.
B. The Director may not waive or modify any requirement imposed by the model ordinance, by Cal. Water Code § 10608.14, or by any other provision of state law.
C. A determination of the Director under this section may be appealed to the City Council in accordance with Chapter 2.44.
8.50.170 Enforcement and penalties.
A. A violation of this chapter is subject to the penalty provisions of Chapter 1.12 and to administrative citation under Chapter 1.16. Each day a violation continues constitutes 4935-4785-8888v2/022283-0547 A-9
a separate violation, and each tree planted, replaced or relocated without a root barrier required by Section 8.50.090 or Section 12.20.070 constitutes a separate violation.
B. A violation of this chapter is a public nuisance and may be abated, and the costs of abatement recovered, in the manner provided in Chapter 8.28. Where a tree has been planted without a root barrier required by this chapter, the Director may require the responsible person to remove the tree and reinstall it with a conforming root barrier, or to install a conforming root barrier by another method acceptable to the Director, within the time stated in the notice of violation or administrative citation.
C. The remedies provided in this section are cumulative and in addition to any other remedy available at law or in equity, including the liability imposed by Section
12.20.050.
8.50.180 Reference evapotranspiration.
In calculating the Maximum Applied Water Allowance and the Estimated Total Water Use, a project applicant shall use the reference evapotranspiration values published for the City of Lancaster in the Reference Evapotranspiration Table at Appendix C to the model ordinance, which as of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter are the following, expressed in inches of water:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
ETo 2.4 2.9 4.4 5.8 7.3 8.5 9.3 8.6 6.6 4.6 2.9 2.1
Annual reference evapotranspiration for the City of Lancaster is 65.3 inches. Should the Department of Water Resources revise the value published for the City of Lancaster, the revised value shall govern, and the Director shall conform this section and the Design Standards accordingly and report the revision to the City Council.
8.50.190 Relationship to water purveyor programs.
Nothing in this chapter is intended to duplicate or conflict with a water efficiency program or measure implemented by a public water system as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 116275. Cal. Gov’t Code § 65595(e). Where this chapter and such a program both apply, the more stringent shall control.