California · Water Code

WAT §71689.6: It shall be unlawful to produce groundwater from any water-producing facility within any district from and after one year following the adoption of the resolution provided for in Section 71686 hereof,

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

Operating a groundwater production facility without a water-measuring device is unlawful. Violation is punishable by up to $1,000 fine, up to six months county jail, or both; each day of violation is a separate offense.

Read the full statutory text
It shall be unlawful to produce groundwater from any water-producing facility within any district from and after one year following the adoption of the resolution provided for in Section 71686 hereof, unless such water-producing facility shall have a water-measuring device affixed thereto capable of registering the accumulated amount of groundwater produced therefrom. The board by resolution may extend such date on a year-to-year basis upon its determination that availability, price of water-measuring devices, or other circumstances justify such extension. Should the date be extended, notice thereof shall be published in the district pursuant to Section 6066 of the Government Code, such publication to be completed not less than two months prior to the date so extended. This section shall not be applicable to any operator of a water-producing facility having a discharge opening two inches or less in diameter and providing groundwater for domestic or irrigation uses on an area not exceeding one acre in extent, who is required to pay a replenishment assessment in an amount fixed by resolution of the board of the district as hereinabove in this part provided. Violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail for not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each day of operation of a water-producing facility in violation hereof shall constitute a separate offense.

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.