Asheville, NC Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Section 7-8-26 of the Asheville City Code sets district standards for the Urban Place Form District, one of the city's zoning form districts implementing the Living Asheville comprehensive plan. ' Rain barrels or cisterns six feet or less in height are named first on that list, alongside planter boxes, bio-retention areas, and similar features the city engineer approves. These features may encroach up to two feet into a primary street setback, so long as they stay clear of the required sidewalk, and the same features may also project into a side interior or rear setback provided the installation stays at least two feet back from the vertical plane of any lot line.

This means a homeowner or developer inside the Urban Place Form District can place a rain barrel closer to a property line than an ordinary accessory structure would be allowed, without triggering a setback variance. The rule sits within the broader setback-encroachment framework of section 7-8-26, which otherwise holds arcades, porches, chimneys, HVAC equipment, and utility structures to their own separate encroachment allowances, showing the city treats rainwater capture equipment as a favored low-impact stormwater practice rather than a standard yard structure. The provision is district-specific: it governs the Urban Place Form District rather than the general citywide setback table in section 7-10-2, so a rain barrel outside that district falls under the standard accessory-structure and setback rules instead.