Drought Citation Appeals

Did you receive a citation?

If you have received a drought-related citation, it could have been issued for a number of reasons. Citations are being issued after warnings for violations such as watering on the wrong day, overspray, using standard sprinklers without a waiver, and more. Please review your citation carefully to asses the issue and make the correction where possible.

Need additional information?

All citations being issued have evidence documented by staff and contracted crews monitoring water use. If you have any questions or would like to see the evidence documenting the cited issue, please call 805-375-5747 and press ‘0’ during regular business hours to speak with staff, or please leave a message with current contact information and someone will reach out to you.

How to File an Appeal

If you believe the citation was issued erroneously and would like to file an appeal for consideration, please take the following steps:

  1. Fill out the Preliminary Review form and send it to DroughtAppeals@toaks.org within 14 days of receiving the citation. A review and decision will be delivered to you within 10 business days.

  2. If the citation is upheld in the Preliminary Review and you wish to continue with the appeals process, you can request a hearing within 35 days of the citation issuance. You would then fill out the Administrative Hearing request form. You will need to pay the citation and administrative staff will schedule a hearing with the official hearing officer. You can request a waiver for the citation payment if you qualify. Once the hearing takes place, Hearing Officer sends a decision.