Water Meter Graphic

This water meter instructional graphic was used as part of an educational advertisement placed in the Buellton Buzz, City of Buellton Public Works Website, and on door hangers.

Water Meter Clearances

Did you know by maintaining free access around your water meter, you are ensuring that your water meter is read accurately, and you are billed correctly?  The City recommends a 1 foot clearance around your water meter and 6 feet vertical clearance above your water meter to allow free access and natural sunlight needed for reading and making infrastructure and/or emergency repairs. By keeping clearance around your water meter, you are also helping protect City staff from bees, ticks, snakes and spiders! 

Water Meters   

City staff read your water meter monthly.  To ensure accurate reading and correct billing, City staff need to have free access to your water meter with no obstructions from overgrown ornamental landscape (trees, shurbs, and/or low growing bushes) preventing natural sunlight needed for reading your water meter and/or have items blocking access to the water meter such as fences, walls, gates, large rocks, cars, trailers, trash/recycling/green waste bins, materials and/or debris. 

When planting ornamental landscape, please keep in mind that roots from trees and shurbs can damage water lines when roots become entangled around them potentially resulting in root intrusion.  The City recommends a 1 foot clearance around your water meter and 6 feet vertical clearance above your water meter to allow free access and natural sunlight needed for reading and conducting maintenance and/or repair of infrastructure, or emergency repair, if needed.  By keeping clearance around your water meter, you are also helping protect City staff from bees, ticks, snakes and spiders! 

If the City does not have free access, the City may have to estimate your water meter usage and/or will leave a notice on your property to remove an obstruction from water meter.   If the obstruction is not removed, the City may take corrective action to gain access to the water meter.