Redlands is in San Bernardino County but it is not an Inland Empire Utilities Agency city, which means salt-based water softeners are still permitted here. That is the first thing worth establishing, because homeowners a few miles west in Fontana cannot install one at all.
The City of Redlands runs its own municipal utility. What makes Redlands distinctive for our work is the housing: the citrus-era neighborhoods hold some of the oldest and most carefully maintained homes in the region.
Hardness in Redlands
Redlands is served by City of Redlands Municipal Utilities. We do not publish a hardness figure we have not measured, so we test at your hose bib before we quote.
How hard is the water in Redlands?
We do not publish a Redlands hardness figure because we have not measured one consistently across the city. We test at your hose bib before quoting rather than repeating a number we have not verified.
That test takes a few minutes and it determines how the system is sized, so it is worth doing properly rather than working from an average.
Historic homes and why the install is different
The Victorians and craftsman homes through Smiley Heights and the older streets near the University of Redlands were built long before any of this equipment existed. There is no softener loop, utility spaces are often tight or unusual, and the main line is not always where you would expect it.
On a historic home the install is as much about routing and access as it is about the equipment. We look at the property before committing to a price, because promising a standard number on a house like that would be guessing.
Original plumbing behind old walls
Homes of this era frequently still carry some original supply line, and decades of hard water accelerate the corrosion that narrows it. If we open a wall and find galvanized pipe closing up, we will say so before you spend on treatment.
Owners of historic Redlands homes tend to be the most receptive to hearing this, because they are usually maintaining the house for the long term rather than flipping it. The honest sequence is sometimes repipe first, treat second.
Redlands is not an IEUA city
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency ordinance prohibiting new self-regenerating salt softeners covers Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland. Redlands is not on that list.
So the full salt-based combo is available here, and you are not restricted to salt-free conditioning the way a Fontana homeowner is. If you have been told otherwise, that guidance was for a different city.
Water filtration questions from Redlands homeowners
Are water softeners banned in Redlands?
Who supplies water in Redlands?
Can you install in a historic Redlands home?
Nearby cities we serve
Not sure which system fits your home? Read our water system guide, or see the main water filtration page for how the options compare.