Bellflower, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Rainwater harvesting is allowed in Bellflower. A review of the Bellflower Municipal Code did not find any provision prohibiting homeowners from capturing rooftop rainwater in barrels or cisterns for landscape irrigation, and no stand-alone City rain-barrel permit was identified for ordinary gravity-fed barrels. At the state level, California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Assembly Bill 1750) authorizes residential, commercial, and governmental property owners to install and operate rainwater capture systems for landscape irrigation and other non-potable uses without obtaining a water-rights permit from the State Water Resources Control Board, as long as the captured water is used on the property where it is collected. Bellflower's own Water Conservation Measures (Municipal Code Chapter 13.16) push residents to reduce outdoor water use, and harvested rainwater is a natural fit for staying within the City's two-day-per-week watering limits. Practical limits still apply: any large cistern, or any rainwater system plumbed into household water lines, can trigger building, plumbing, grading, or backflow-protection requirements under the City's building code and the state plumbing code, so residents installing more than simple rooftop barrels should check with the City's building/planning staff. Bellflower's water suppliers and regional programs (such as Metropolitan Water District's SoCal Water$mart) periodically offer rain-barrel and conservation rebates.