Title WAT, California Water Code

The secretary of the board shall cause notice of the time and place of hearing to be posted for a period of two weeks next preceding the hearing (a) in three public places in the area requested to be excluded, and (b) in three public places in the area of the distribution distric…

At the time and place of the hearing, anyone interested in the petition for exclusion may appear before the board of the district and urge or oppose its approval. After the hearing, if the board of the district determines that it is for the best interests of the distribution dist…

All expenses incurred in connection with a petition to exclude lands from a distribution district shall be paid by the petitioners. (Added by Stats. 1951, Ch. 145.)

If the cost of the improvements does not require a special assessment in excess of a total of fifty dollars ($50) per acre over an area to be improved not in excess of 1,000 acres, the board may by resolution set a time for a hearing on whether or not to form the improvement dist…

The board shall give notice of the time and place of the formation hearing in the same manner as provided for the giving of notice for the hearing of a formation petition pursuant to Chapter 1 of this part except that the notice to be mailed to the property owners shall be addres…

Owners of the property proposed to be included within the improvement district may be heard either in opposition to or in support of the formation of the improvement district. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

Proceedings at the hearing shall be the same as provided for at a hearing upon the formation petition pursuant to Chapter 1 of this part. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

Upon the conclusion of the hearing to form an improvement district an order shall be made by the board either dismissing the proceedings or ordering the improvement to proceed in the same manner and with the same effect as provided in Article 4 of Chapter 1 of this part. (Added b…

If a formation order is made pursuant to this chapter, the land formed into the improvement district shall, for a period not to exceed five years, be assessed in an amount not to exceed ten dollars ($10) per acre per year in addition to the regular assessments levied on the same …

Assessments in an improvement district formed pursuant to this chapter shall be levied, collected, and enforced at the same time and in the same manner as annual assessments for district purposes. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

The board may draw from time to time from the construction fund and deposit in the county treasury of the office county any money in the construction fund in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

The county treasurer shall receive and receipt for district money deposited with him and place it to the credit of the district, and he shall be responsible upon his official bond for the safe-keeping and disbursing of the money. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

The county treasurer shall pay out district money or any portion of it only to the treasurer of the district and only upon the order of the board signed by the president and attested by the secretary. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

A county treasurer having charge of district money shall report as to it in writing on the second Monday in each month all of the following: (a) Amount in the county treasury at the close of the month next preceding. (b) Amounts received in the month next preceding. (c) Amounts p…

If any issue of refunding bonds are made to mature at one time, the board prior to or at the time of their issuance shall provide for the creation of and payments into a sinking fund for the payment of the bonds in amounts determined by the board. (Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 122…

The amount of sinking fund payments may be modified from time to time by the board. (Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 1226, Sec. 52.)

Whenever the sinking fund contains at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000), the board may publish notice of redemption at least once a week for three successive weeks in some newspaper published in the office county and may publish it in any other newspaper. (Added by Stats. 1943…

The notice shall set forth all of the following: (a) The amount available for the redemption of the bonds. (b) An invitation for sealed proposals for the sale to the district of any of its outstanding refunding bonds for the payment of which the sinking fund was created. (c) The …

All proposals received in response to the notice shall be opened by the board in open meeting at the time specified in the notice or at a time to which the meeting is adjourned. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

Any or all of the proposals may, in the discretion of the board, be rejected. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

If no bids are received or if the bids received and accepted are not sufficient to exhaust the money on hand and available for the purpose, the district through its board may purchase at private sale with any available money in the sinking fund any bonds for the payment of which …

No proposal to sell bonds to the district pursuant to this article at a price in excess of their par value shall be accepted. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

All bonds purchased from sinking fund money shall be forthwith canceled. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

A district shall by levy of a completion assessment provide for the completion of a plan of works adopted and the acquisition of necessary property, water, and water rights therefor when either: (a) The money raised by the sale of authorized bonds is insufficient and additional b…

A completion assessment shall not be levied until both: (a) An estimate of the amount required to complete the plan has been made by the board. (b) A proposal for making the levy has been approved by the voters. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

Before a completion assessment proposal is submitted to the voters, an order of submission shall be entered in the minutes of the board, stating: (a) The amount to be levied. (b) The purpose of the levy. (c) The day of the election. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

Notice of the election shall be given by both: (a) Posting notices in three public places in each election precinct in the district for at least 20 days. (b) Publication in a newspaper published in the office county, once a week for at least three successive weeks. (Added by Stat…

The notice of the election shall specify both: (a) The day, hours, and polling places in each precinct for holding the election. (b) The amount of assessment proposed to be levied. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

To the right of or below each question on the ballot, the words “Yes” and “No” shall be printed on separate lines, with voting targets. (Repealed and added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 303, Sec. 48. (AB 1512) Effective January 1, 2026.)

The election shall be held and the result determined and declared as nearly as practicable in conformity with the provisions governing general district elections. (Amended by Stats. 1965, Ch. 2019.)

If a majority of the votes cast at the election are “Assessment—Yes,” the district by its board shall levy an assessment in the amount stated in the order of submission. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

If a majority of the votes cast are “Assessment—No,” the result of the election shall be entered of record. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

No informalities in the conduct of the election shall invalidate the election if fairly conducted. (Added by Stats. 1943, Ch. 372.)

A district may contract with the United States, upon such terms the board finds to be to the best interest of the district, for permanent or temporary service of water to Indian lands lying within the exterior boundaries of the district. (Added by Stats. 1949, Ch. 274.)

At the time and place fixed for the hearing in the resolution declaring the necessity for incurring the bonded indebtedness, or at any time and place to which the hearing is adjourned, the board shall proceed with the hearing. (Added by Stats. 1949, Ch. 274.)

At the hearing any person interested, including persons owning property within the district, may appear and present any matters material to the questions set forth in the resolution declaring the necessity for incurring the bonded indebtedness. (Added by Stats. 1949, Ch. 274.)

At the conclusion of the hearing, the board shall by resolution determine whether the whole or part of the district will be benefited by the accomplishment of the purpose stated in the resolution. (Added by Stats. 1949, Ch. 274.)

If the board determines that the whole of the district will not be benefited, the resolution shall also describe the portion of the district which will be benefited, in a manner sufficient for identification, which portion of the district described in the resolution shall thereup…

After the formation of an improvement district within a district pursuant to this article, all proceedings for the purpose of a bond election within the improvement district and for the purpose of taxation for the payment of the bonds and interest shall be limited, and apply only…

The determination of the board that the whole of the district will be benefited by the bond issue or that only a described portion of the district will be benefited by the bond issue is final and conclusive. (Added by Stats. 1949, Ch. 274.)

After the board has made its determination pursuant to Section 31387, if it deems it necessary to incur the bonded indebtedness, it shall by resolution state: (a) That it deems it necessary to incur the bonded indebtedness. (b) The purpose for which the bonded indebtedness will b…

In determining the amount of debt to be incurred, the legislative body may include: (a) All costs and estimated costs incidental to or connected with the acquisition, construction, improving or financing of the project. (b) All engineering, inspection, legal and fiscal agent’s fe…

(a) Any time following the establishment of an improvement district pursuant to this article, the board, by a four-fifths majority vote, may exempt part or all of the territory within the improvement district from liability for payment of principal, interest, and any other amount…

Any person interested may commence the contest of a district election, other than a general district election, within 20 days after the result has been declared by filing a complaint in the superior court of the county where the election was held. If no contest is commenced withi…

All water distributed for irrigation purposes, except as otherwise provided in this article, shall be apportioned ratably to each holder of title to land upon the basis of the ratio which the last assessment against his land for district purposes bears to the whole sum assessed i…

Water sold to holders of title to land pursuant to Section 35470 shall be apportioned ratably to each holder of title to land making application therefor under such rules and regulations as the board may from time to time establish. (Added by Stats. 1951, Ch. 390.)