10News reporter Michael Chen looked at why hundreds of residents aren't in compliance.

Monday night in Point Loma, he found one homeowner that was apparently following the rules.

The grass was a bit brown because of it.

But 10News has learned many lawns are getting more water than they're allowed.

In Kensington, the landscaping outside one home was clearly soaked in water.

The problem is, the new city rules say the irrigation should have been shut off.

“Did you know you were not supposed to be watering the lawn today?” Chen asked the homeowner.

The numbers show the man isn't alone.

“I think it's about what we expected,” said Mike Bresnahan of the San Diego Public Utilities Department.

Bresnahan said city water officials expected and hoped neighbors would keep an eye on each other’s lawns.

Door-hangers asked for just that, just before the new restrictions went into effect in June.

3 weeks later, city officials say they've had a total of 388 complaints aimed at homes, multi-family buildings, and businesses.

More than 150 of the complaints involved sprinklers being on for too long.

Another 60 complaints were for watering on the wrong days, and 14 were for watering at the wrong times.

After some follow-up by the city, hundreds of warning letters were sent out.

“We've actually sent out 227 letters as of Monday,” Bresnahan said.

The warnings were delivered but why have hundreds not followed the rules?

When Chen asked the man: “You've never heard about them?” He shook his head, `no.’

He may have plenty of company.

“There's a significant population who don't know the details about the regulations are,” Bresnahan said.

Non-compliance could lead to a second warning letter and, eventually, a fine of between $100 and $1,000.