§ 836.5.Requests For Information Regarding Persons Reporting Extractions Within Basin
Title 10. Actions In Particular Cases · Chapter 7. Actions Relating to Groundwater Rights · Article 3. Notice and Service of Complaint · Enacted 2015 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 836.5 requires the plaintiff, once the court approves the notice and form answer, to request from the State Water Resources Control Board and local groundwater agencies the names and addresses of persons reporting groundwater extractions in the basin, with those entities required to respond within forty-five days and reimbursed for their reasonable costs.
(a)Within 15 days of the court order approving the notice and form answer under Section 836, the plaintiff shall request from the following entities the names and addresses of persons reporting extractions within the basin under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or Part 5 (commencing with Section 4999) or Part 5.2 (commencing with Section 5200) of Division 2 of the Water Code:
(1)The State Water Resources Control Board.
(2)A local agency designated under Section 5009 of the Water Code as the local agency for a board- designated local area that includes the basin or a portion of the basin.
(3)A groundwater sustainability agency for the basin or a portion of the basin.
(b)The entities described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a) shall provide the plaintiff with the names, mailing addresses, and email addresses, if available, within 45 days of the plaintiff's request. The State Water Resources Control Board shall also provide the mailing address and email addresses, if available, of any person known to the board who holds a permit or license authorizing underground storage in the basin or who claims a right to divert water for underground storage in the basin.
(c)Upon request, the plaintiff shall reimburse the reasonable costs incurred under this section by an entity described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a).
(d)An entity shall not be held civilly liable for complying with this section.
Plain-English Summary
Landowner records only capture part of who might hold groundwater rights in a basin — plenty of extractors report their pumping to regulators without necessarily owning the land they pump from. Section 836.5 closes that gap by tapping into existing reporting requirements.
Within fifteen days of the court's approval of the notice and form answer under § 836, the plaintiff must request extraction-reporting information from the State Water Resources Control Board, any local agency designated to administer a board-designated local extraction reporting area covering the basin, and any groundwater sustainability agency for the basin. Those entities have forty-five days to provide names, mailing addresses, and email addresses where available. The State Water Resources Control Board must also provide contact information for anyone it knows holds a permit or license for underground storage in the basin, or who claims a right to divert water for underground storage there.
Subdivision (c) requires the plaintiff to reimburse these entities' reasonable costs upon request, and subdivision (d) shields an entity from civil liability for complying with this section — encouraging cooperation without exposing the responding agencies to lawsuits over what they disclose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the plaintiff need to request information from the State Water Resources Control Board?
Because some groundwater extractors report their pumping to the board or local agencies without necessarily being reflected in county property records, and this information helps identify them for notice purposes.
How long do these entities have to respond to the plaintiff's request?
Forty-five days from the plaintiff's request.
Who pays for the cost of compiling and providing this information?
The plaintiff, upon the entity's request, must reimburse the reasonable costs incurred in providing it.
Can an agency be sued for turning over this information?
No. Section 836.5(d) provides that an entity isn't civilly liable for complying with this section.
Amendment History
Added by Stats 2015 ch 672 (AB 1390),s 1, eff. 1/1/2016.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:groundwater extractor contact information request californiastate water board information request adjudication