Rainwater Harvesting / Graywater Reuse Regulations and Laws

Water conservation is a growing need in our communities and many regions are depending on water conservation to free up future water supply. Water conservation is consistently being counted on in regional and state water plans.

The regulations and laws that govern water conservation and auxiliary water are in a constant state of flux. As municipalities and communities across the US learn about these systems and determine how they integrate on residential and commercial property, they will continue to innovate and adapt the regulations and laws governing them.

This section of our website is intended to be a resource to track the current water conservation and auxiliary water regulations and laws across the US.

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Click on the state to learn about their auxiliary water laws and regulations

Rating State Efforts for Rainwater Harvesting Implementation

In order to provide a quick indication of a State’s level of regulation and promotion for the practice of rainwater harvesting, we have created a letter rating system. On each of the individual State’s webpages, you will see the following letter grade near the top of the page.

“A” rating implies that the State currently has EXPLICIT regulations and laws that legalizes the practice of rainwater harvesting. This is in contrast to States that don’t discourage the practice of rainwater harvesting but also don’t promote it by passing regulations and laws in order to codify the practice. These States also have municipalities or other governmental agencies that provide rebates and incentives.

“B” rating implies that the State currently has regulations and guidance that may recommend the practice of rainwater harvesting but doesn’t currently have laws to codify its legality. This is in contrast to States that don’t have any recommendations or laws to help the public determine what they can and can’t do in regards to rainwater harvesting.

“C” rating implies that the State currently has no regulations or laws either for or against the practice of rainwater harvesting. These States leave it to local officials to decide the fate of the public’s ability to practice rainwater harvesting. This is in contrast to States that have laws that restrict or limit the practice of rainwater harvesting.

“D” rating implies that the State currently has EXPLICIT regulations or laws that restrict rainwater harvesting. This restriction can be through where and how a rainwater harvesting system is designed or installed. A common restriction for this letter rating is a restriction on the ultimate size of rainwater harvesting storage volume.

“F” rating implies that the State currently has EXPLICIT regulations or laws that make it illegal. You will not find a “F” rating for any State in the US since there are no states that where harvesting rainwater is illegal.