HB1633

HB1633 expressly adds registered, permit-exempt wells to the interests a groundwater conservation district must consider when reviewing a permit or qualifying permit amendment. The district must consider whether the proposed water use would unreasonably affect those wells, alongside the existing considerations for groundwater and surface-water resources and existing permit holders. It took effect June 20, 2025. Final law; history.

Both conditions matter: a well must be registered with the district and exempt from a permit requirement under state law or district rules. Exemption is not the same as having no relationship with the district. Water Code 36.117 separately requires well registration under district rules and sets out exemptions, including certain domestic and livestock wells subject to acreage, capacity and use conditions. HB1633 does not rewrite those exemption qualifications or require every exempt well to obtain a permit. Water Code 36.117.

The change is a required consideration, not an automatic veto for a neighboring well owner, a ban on new wells, or a guarantee that every existing well’s water level will remain unchanged. The district still applies the other statutory criteria, including beneficial use, consistency with its management plan, avoiding waste and protecting groundwater quality. Final law, Section 1.

The amended subsection expressly does not apply to operating-permit renewals under Water Code 36.1145. A requested change requiring a permit amendment is governed separately by 36.1146; the bill should not be described as reopening every routine renewal. Water Code 36.113, 36.1145 and 36.1146.