The Santa Clara Valley Water District will begin enforcing a ban on watering lawns and plants that are only there for decoration in many places.
Valley Water expert Neeta Bijoor said the ban "applies to all commercial, industrial and institutional properties, including homeowners associations."
After two warnings, repeat offenders could face fines of up to $10,000.
"We do not want to go there," Valley Water board chair John Varela said. "We want to not have to enforce any of those policies."
Parks and schools are exempt from the ban.
Individual homeowners still have to abide by the two days a week rule with no runoff and no midday watering.
Those restrictions appear to be working. For the first time, Valley Water said conservation countywide reached and even surpassed its 15% goal.
"We’re in a drought, we're in a severe drought," Varela said. "We call it a crisis. People are paying attention and they’re doing their part. We’re excited about that."
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