California AB 2260: Water: restoration management: small restoration use.

Bill Text

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
 Bill Text - AB-2260 Water: restoration management: small restoration use.

• 

• skip to content

• home

• accessibility

• FAQ

• feedback

• sitemap

• login

• x

 Quick Search:

 Bill Number
 Bill Keyword

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• Home

• Bill Information

• California Law

• Publications

• Other Resources

• My Subscriptions

• My Favorites

• Bill Information
 >>

• Bill Search
 >>

• Text

 Bill Text

 PDF2
 Bill PDF

 |Add To My Favorites |Track Bill | Version: 05/18/26 - Amended Assembly
 03/17/26 - Amended Assembly
 02/19/26 - Introduced

 AB-2260 Water: restoration management: small restoration use.(2025-2026)

 Text

 >>

 Votes

 >>

 History
 >>

 Bill Analysis
 >>

 Today's Law As Amended
 >>

 Compare Versions
 >>

 Status
 >>

 Comments To Author

 >>

 Track Bill
 >>

 Add To My Favorites
 >>

 SHARE THIS:

 Date Published: 05/18/2026 02:00 PM

AB2260:v97#DOCUMENTBill Start

 Amended
 IN 
 Assembly
 May 18, 2026

 Amended
 IN 
 Assembly
 March 17, 2026

 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

 Assembly Bill

No. 2260

Introduced by Assembly Member Connolly

February 19, 2026

 An act to amend Sections 1228.1, 1228.2, 1228.5, and 1229 1229, 1241, 1525, and 5101 of, and to amend the heading of Article 2.7 (commencing with Section 1228) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 2 of, the Water Code, relating to water. 

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2260, as amended, Connolly.
 Water: restoration management: small restoration use.

(1) Existing law, the Water Rights Permitting Reform Act of 1988, authorizes any person to obtain a right to appropriate water for a small domestic, small irrigation, or livestock stockpond use, as defined, upon registering the use with the State Water Resources Control Board, as prescribed, payment of a registration fee, and application of the water to reasonable and beneficial use with due diligence.

This bill would extend the above-described ability to obtain a right to appropriate water to a small restoration use, as provided. The bill would define several terms for these purposes, including defining a small restoration use as a specified use of water for native fish and wildlife preservation and enhancement in
 connection with a project to restore, enhance, or provide habitat for native fish and wildlife, as provided. The bill would require the board to give priority to processing small restoration use registrations that are coupled with a petition for mandatory dedication to instream beneficial uses or wetlands habitat, as specified. The bill would require a person or entity who files a registration of appropriation for a small restoration use to pay a fee according to a fee schedule established by the board.

(2) Existing law requires renewal of registration of a small domestic, small irrigation, or livestock stockpond use pursuant to a specified process prior to the expiration of each 5-year period following completed registration.
 Existing law provides for the reversion of water rights to which a person is entitled when the person fails to beneficially use the water for a period of 5 years. Existing law requires the board to establish general conditions to which all appropriations of water for small domestic, small irrigation, or livestock stockpond use are subject, including, among others, that the appropriation is subject to prior rights and that all conditions lawfully required by the Department of Fish and Wildlife are conditions upon the appropriation.
 Existing law authorizes the board to establish those general conditions for some methods of diversion or categories of small irrigation use before establishing general conditions for other methods or categories others, as specified.

This bill would also apply the above-described
 these renewal, reversion, and condition-setting provisions to a small restoration use. use and make other conforming changes. The bill would exempt the adoption and revision of those general conditions for small restoration use from certain economic impact assessment requirements of the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.

Digest Key

 Vote:
 MAJORITY 
 Appropriation:
 NO 
 Fiscal Committee:
 YES 
 Local Program:
 NO 

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 The heading of Article 2.7 (commencing with Section 1228) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Water Code is amended to read:

 Article
 2.7. Registration of Appropriations for Small Domestic, Small Irrigation, Small Restoration, and Livestock Stockpond Uses

SEC. 2.

 Section 1228.1 of the Water Code is amended to read:

1228.1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares that it is in the public interest to provide a timely, efficient, and economic procedure for the acquisition of rights to appropriate water for a small domestic use, including incidental stock watering and irrigation uses, a small irrigation use, a small restoration use, and for a livestock stockpond