Water Permit Process
FILING YOUR PERMIT APPLICATION
The MPWMD Permit Office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and is available by emailing conserve@mpwmd.net or calling 831-658-5601. Please follow the instructions below to have your project reviewed for a permit. Note that ALL Water Permit applications must be submitted electronically by email to conserve@mpwmd.net. You may include links to the plans.
Electronic Water Permit Application Process Fact Sheet
What is a “Water Permit?”
A Water Permit allows an applicant to obtain a building permit and set a water meter or intensify water use on an existing connection. A Water Permit is also needed to set additional water meters or to change the size of an existing water meter. Normally, permits can be processed within a week if there are no deed restrictions required (deed restrictions take 1 to 3 days to prepare, review and record.)
Compliance with Water Efficiency Requirements found in MPWMD Regulations XIV and XV are Conditions of Approval of a Water Permit. Please review these rules and be familiar with the requirements.
Landscape Water Permits
MPWMD Water Efficient Landscape Requirements (WELO)
Substantial water efficiency can be gained by proper landscape design, installation, and maintenance. California’s first Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO) was adopted in September 2009 and amended in July 2015. As part of the District’s Water Permit process, staff routinely evaluates the Water Use Capacity of the landscape and verifies compliance with its requirements. Beginning in 2016, the District began reporting region-wide compliance with WELO to the California Department of Water Resources. As the regional water manager, MPWMD is the appropriate agency to implement the water efficient landscape requirements. Agencies such as MPWMD were directed to update their local/regional WELO, which MPWMD did by codifying Rule 142.1 in its Rules and Regulations in September 2016. MPWMD’s Rule 142.1 is more effective than the State’s MWELO.
Which Projects are Subject to MPWMD Water Efficient Landscape Requirements?
Rule 142.1 applies to new landscapes (including landscapes associated with a building demolition/rebuild) with an aggregate landscape area greater than 500 square-feet that are associated with any grading permit, building permit, or design approval (including such projects as lighting, decks, retaining walls, fences, etc.). It also applies to refurbished landscapes (i.e., replacement of existing landscaping) greater than 2,500 square-feet that require a building or landscape permit, plan check, or design review. Rule 142.1 focuses on water efficiency in plant selection, landscape design, and the irrigation system.
Resources:
- ETo Zones Map
- MPWMD Rule 142.1
- WUCOLS III – Water Use Classification of Landscape Species published by the University of California Cooperative Extension and the Department of Water Resources
- Invasive “pest” plants (California Invasive Plant Council’s “Don’t Plant a Pest”)
- California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS). Local ETo zones are 1, 2, 3, and 6. Monterey Peninsula CIMIS stations are located in Carmel (Station 210), Laguna Seca (Station 229), and Pacific Grove (Station 193).
Commercial Changes in Use
Builders/owners of new and existing commercial buildings should be informed of the possible need for a Water Permit when tenant changes occur. All intensification in use according to District Rule 24, Table II, require Water Permits. Due to differences in use definitions, the District may consider a building/lease space to have changed use even when the city/county may not. A quick check with the District permit office staff will clarify whether a water permit is needed.