Measurement

Below are instructions for calculating the footage of simple landscaping. For more complex landscaping, it may be necessary for you to request assistance from your contractor or landscaper. (There are also online satellite imagery websites that may be able to help you measure your lawn’s square footage.)

Measuring the square footage of your landscaping

To measure your landscape area, you will need:

• A Measuring tape or measuring wheel
• Graph paper (free templates available online)

With those materials in hand, follow these steps to find the square footage of your lawn:

1. On the graph paper, make a drawing of your home and the borders of your yard. Write in any descriptions of nearby items such as driveways, fences, or sidewalks.

2. Divide the landscape area into easily measured shapes such as rectangles, squares, and triangles.

3. Take measurements as needed to calculate the square footage of each shape in your yard (helpful formulas are listed below). Add up the square footage of each shape for total square footage. If a shape with no landscaping (such as a pool) is inside a larger shape (such as a square of lawn), calculate the square footage of the larger shape and subtract the square footage of the smaller shape.

Helpful formulas to find square footage

You can easily calculate the area of common shapes yourself. If you prefer, there are many online “area calculator tools” that will calculate the square footage of common shapes after you enter in the required measurements (for example, this tool on the Math is Fun web site.)

Squares, rectangles, and triangles are the most common shapes in most yards. The formulas for finding their square footage are below. If you have more unusual shapes, you can find out how to calculate their square footage on many websites such as Math is Fun.

Square or Rectangle

Height multiplied by Width = Square Footage

Triangle

Height multiplied by Width and divided by 2 = Square Footage

Photo guidelines

Photos submitted as part of a request to change your landscape classification should:

• Be in color.
• Not be up-close shots of grass or plants. We recommend you stand back far enough to include your home, street, or fence as a reference point.
• Represent the landscape area footage. You may need to submit multiple photos to adequately represent your landscaping.
• Be in JPEG or PNG format. (Videos are not accepted.)

Plants that are adapted to long, dry summers and short, rainy winters are called “Mediterranean-zone” plants. These include plants that are native to California, as well as those that originated in southern Europe, South America, and other “Mediterranean” climates. These plants don’t need much water in the summer and have thrived in water-scarce conditions for thousands of years.

The plants listed below are appropriate for California’s climate and use less water than what you may already have in your garden. This list is a good representation of low-water-consuming plants that are easily available. Check with your local nursery for its suggestions about what is best suited to your area.

Perennials, Shrubs, and Ornamental Grasses

• Agave species (Agave)
• Alyogyne huegelii (Blue Hibiscus)
• Arctostaphylos species (Manzanita)
• Artemisia species (Sagebrush)
• Ceanothus species (California Lilac)
• Chamelaucium uncinatum (Geraldton Waxflower)
• Cistus species (Rockrose)
• Dudleya species (Live Forever)
• Echeveria species (Hens-and-Chickens)
• Encelia californica (California Encelia)
• Galvezia speciosa (Island Bush Snapdragon)
• Grevillea species (Grevillea)
• Heteromeles arbutifolia (Toyon)
• Lavandula species (Lavender)
• Leucophyllum species (Texas Ranger)
• Lobelia laxiflora (Mexican Bush Lobelia)
• Mahonia nevinii (Nevin’s Barberry)
• Melalueca nesophila (Pink Melaleuca)
• Myrtus communis (Common Myrtle)
• Nassella species (Needlegrass)
• Penstemon species (Penstemon)
• Rhus species (Sumac)
• Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
• Salvia, selected species (Sage)
• Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue-Eyed Grass)
• Tapetes lemmonii (Copper Canyon Daisy)
• Verbena, selected species (Verbena)

Trees

• Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree)
• Chitalpa tashkentensis (Chitalpa)
• Geijera parviflora (Australian Willow)
• Laurus nobilis (Sweet Bay)
• Olea europaea “Swan Hill” (Swan Hill Olive)
• Pinus eldarica (Afghan Pine)
• Prosopsis chilensis (Chilean Mesquite)
• Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak)

Vines

• Bougainvillea species (Bougainvillea)
• Macfadyena unguis-cati (Cat’s Claw)
• Vitis californica (California Wild Grape)

Turf

• Buchloe dactyloides (Buffalograss)
• Cynodon dactylon (Hybrid Bermudagrass)
• Zoysia “Victoria” (Victoria Zoysiagrass)

Ground Cover

• Acacia redolens “Desert Carpet”
• Dwarf Prostrate Acacia
• Achillea species (Yarrow)
• Baccharis species (Coyote Brush)
• Cotoneaster dammeri (Bearberry Cotoneaster)
• Lampranthus species (Ice Plant)
• Lantana montevidensis (Trailing Lantana)
• Myoporum parvifolium (Myoporum)
• Sedum species (Stonecrop)

We offer a variety of conservation rebates, tips, and resources to help customers save water every day. You can find out more on our Conservation page.

At Cal Water, we’re taking steps to conserve water by not only monitoring our own facilities and water pipelines but also:

• Replacing, repairing, and upgrading infrastructure to minimize water loss
• Identifying and repairing leaks through a Water Loss Auditing and Control Program
• Developing 30-year Water Supply and Facilities Master Plans, which enable us to identify and address potential gaps in supplies
• Updating Conservation Master Plans for each district to implement programs that maximize water savings for all our customers

Unless local ordinances specify time limits, we recommend watering 5-7 minutes, 2-3 times per assigned day, to maximize the benefit of irrigation.

Cal Water recommends consulting the user guide provided by the manufacturer to learn how to adjust the programming of your specific controller.

Cal Water is responsible for repairs within the distribution system. Property owners are responsible for repairs to plumbing on their side of the water meter.

If you want to keep your water usage in lower rate tiers, you will need to reduce your water use. Please visit our conservation section for more information on how to save water.