A district may acquire property by purchase, gift, devise, exchange, descent, and eminent domain. The title to all property which may have been acquired for a district shall be vested in the district.
Powers and PurposesProperty
Section § 55370
This law allows a district to obtain property through various methods such as buying, receiving as a gift, inheritance, trading, or using eminent domain, which means the government can take private property for public use. Once acquired, the property belongs to the district.
property acquisition purchase gift
Section § 55371
This law allows the board of a district to sell, trade, or lease any of its property if they decide it's no longer necessary for the district's purposes. This applies to both real estate and personal property.
The board may sell, exchange, or lease any property, or any interest in property, of the district, real or personal, if the board determines that the property is no longer needed for the uses of the district.
property sale property exchange property lease
Section § 55371.5
This law allows a board to sell, exchange, or lease property to another county waterworks district or a public agency, if that entity is within the same board's jurisdiction and overlaps with the district's area. The transaction can occur without public notice, but must be at a fair market value.
If the board determines that the property is needed for the uses of another county waterworks district governed by the same board or another public agency with a service area or jurisdictional boundary that overlaps the district, the property, or an interest in the property, may be sold, exchanged, or leased to that district or public agency at its reasonable market value without notice.
county waterworks district public agency service area overlap
Section § 55372
If a property or interest in a property is valued at $5,000 or less, or is being leased for a year or less, the board can sell, exchange, or lease it without needing to give public notice.
If the board determines the value of the property, or interest in the property, to be of a value of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or less, or is being leased for one year or less, it may be sold, exchanged, or leased without notice.
property value low-value property short-term lease
Section § 55373
If a property or interest is valued above $5,000, or if it is being leased for over a year, the board must give public notice of the sale or lease by posting notices in three places within the district at least five days beforehand. When it's time for the sale or lease, the board will accept bids and can choose to sell or lease to the highest bidder or reject all offers.
If the board determines the property, or interest in the property, to have a value of more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) or is being leased for more than one year, a notice of time and place of sale or leasing shall be given by posting three notices in three public places within the district five days before the date of sale or leasing. At the time fixed for the sale or leasing, bids shall be received and the board may sell or lease to the highest bidder or may reject any or all bids.
property sale lease term public notice
Section § 55374
This law allows a district's board to lease part of its water distribution system to a municipal corporation, but only if that part is located in a district area that has been annexed or included within the corporation. The lease can last for up to five years at a time.
Whenever any portion of the territory of a district shall be annexed to, or otherwise included within any one municipal corporation which owns works for supplying its inhabitants with water, the board may lease to the municipal corporation, for periods not exceeding five years, the portion of the district’s distributing system that is in the portion of the district annexed to or included in the municipal corporation.
municipal corporation lease water distribution system annexed territory
Section § 55375
This law allows a city to use a water system it has leased to deliver water directly to residents. The city can control how the water service works, set rates, and collect payments as if it's the city's own water facility.
The municipal corporation may use the leased distributing system for the purpose of distributing water directly to individual consumers, with the same power of regulating the service of water, and of charging and collecting for the service, as if the leased distributing system were part of the municipally owned water plant.
municipal corporation leased distributing system water distribution
Section § 55376
This law allows the board to reserve the right to use a leased water distribution system for areas not included in a municipal corporation. This is only applicable if using the system is crucial for operating the rest of the water system efficiently.
The board shall, in the lease, reserve the right to use the leased distributing system, for the benefit of that portion of the district not annexed to or included in the municipal corporation, to the extent that the leased system is essential to the efficient operation of the balance of the system.
board rights leased distributing system municipal corporation
Section § 55377
This law allows for the construction and maintenance of public improvements—like water facilities—on or across public roads and highways. However, after any work is done, the responsible authority must ensure the road or highway is restored to its original condition or at least make sure it's still useful.
Any improvement provided for in this division may be located, constructed and maintained in, along, or across any public road or highway, or publicly owned right of way in the county, in such manner as to afford security for life and property; but the board shall restore, or cause to be restored, the road or highway, or publicly owned right of way to its former state, as near as may be, or in a sufficient manner not to have impaired unnecessarily its usefulness.
public improvements construction on roads maintenance of roads
Section § 55378
This law lets a county's board of supervisors allow a purchasing agent to sell or get rid of personal property that the district no longer needs. This can only happen if the board follows a certain Government Code section. If this happens, some other specific rules about property sale won’t apply.
The board of supervisors of any county which employs a purchasing agent may authorize the purchasing agent to sell or dispose of any personal property of the district no longer needed for the uses of the district, pursuant to Section 25505 of the Government Code. Where such authorization is given, the provisions of Sections 55371, 55372, and 55373 shall not apply.
county board of supervisors purchasing agent sell personal property
