California Senate Bill SB997

California 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/9/26
• Refer: 2/18/26
• Report Pass: 4/8/26
• Refer: 4/8/26
• Report Pass: 4/29/26
• Engrossed: 5/18/26
• Refer: 5/26/26

Caption

An act to amend the heading of Article 8 (commencing with Section 801) of, and to add Sections 802 and 803 to, the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Chapter 392 of the Statutes of 2016), relating to groundwater agencies.

Summary

SB 997 would expand the enforcement tools available to the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency. The bill authorizes the agency to impose civil penalties on any person who extracts groundwater in excess of the amount allowed under agency rules, regulations, ordinances, or resolutions. It also renames the relevant article heading to reflect the agency’s fee, penalty, lien, and collection authority. The bill further allows the agency to collect unpaid water charges, service charges, and civil penalties by recording a certificate with the county recorder. Once recorded, the unpaid amount, plus interest and penalties, becomes a lien on the liable person’s real property in the county, with the force and priority of a judgment lien. The lien lasts 10 years and may be extended by filing a new certificate, giving the agency a stronger mechanism to secure and recover unpaid obligations.

Impact

SB 997 amends the special statute governing the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency, adding express authority to assess civil penalties for groundwater over-extraction and to secure unpaid charges or penalties through recorded liens on real property. It does not broadly change the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act statewide, but it strengthens local enforcement and collection powers for this one statutorily created groundwater agency and affects landowners, groundwater extractors, and others subject to agency fees or penalties within the agency’s jurisdiction.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have received broadly favorable treatment in the Senate, with unanimous committee votes reported on April 7 and April 28, 2026, and no recorded opposition in the provided history. The absence of committee transcript material limits insight into detailed debate, but the voting pattern suggests general support for giving the agency stronger enforcement and collection tools to manage groundwater sustainably.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, and the recorded votes were unanimous. Based on the bill text, any potential concerns would likely center on the scope of the agency’s penalty authority, the use of liens against real property, and the impact on property owners or groundwater users who fall behind on charges or violate extraction limits. However, no named opponents or disputed issues appear in the available record.