Carver County, MN Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing provision
- Ch. 153 Appendix A, referenced by § 153.56(A)(1)
- Irrigation schedule required
- Once per week, 20 weeks growing season
- Volume credit formula
- Area irrigated x irrigation rate
- Water quality credit
- 50% of TP and TSS requirement
- Applies to
- Projects seeking stormwater permit credit
Summary
Carver County lets developers meet part of their required stormwater volume control by capturing and reusing runoff for irrigation instead of building a pond or infiltration basin. Appendix A to the county's Water Resource Management ordinance credits a site if the captured water is applied on-site once a week for 20 weeks of the growing season, and the same reuse can offset up to half the required phosphorus and sediment removal.
(4) Stormwater reuse (irrigation). To meet the volume requirement, the volume to be retained on-site must be utilized on-site once per week for a period of 20 weeks during the growing season. The volume reduction for stormwater reuse is calculated by the area irrigated times the irrigation rate. ... (f) Volume practices. 1. Stormwater reuse. 50% TP and 50% TSS requirements can be met through reuse when treating one inch of stormwater.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-20: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 111-2025, passed 7-25-25).
Full Breakdown
Carver County's stormwater rules in Chapter 153 do not mandate rain barrels or cisterns for homeowners, but they do give commercial and larger residential projects a formal credit for capturing stormwater and putting it back to work as irrigation water. 0-inch volume control standard. To earn the credit, the water captured on-site must actually be applied on-site once per week for 20 weeks during the growing season, and the volume credited is calculated as the irrigated area multiplied by the irrigation rate, not simply the size of the storage tank.
The same reuse system can also count toward the water-quality side of the standard: Appendix A(D)(2)(f)(1) allows a stormwater reuse system to satisfy 50% of the required 90% total phosphorus removal and 50% of the required 90% total suspended solids removal when it is treating the full one-inch design storm. Reuse is one of ten listed volume-credit practices, alongside infiltration, bioretention, dry swales, and pervious pavement, and a project can combine practices to reach the full standard. 56(I)(2), how the irrigation schedule will be tracked and maintained for the life of the practice.
Violations & Fines
A stormwater plan that claims the reuse credit but cannot document the required once-a-week, 20-week irrigation schedule will not receive volume-control credit, which can leave the project short of the 1.0-inch standard and block plan approval. The county can withhold approval, require redesign with additional BMPs, or draw on the responsible party's financial security under § 153.73 if the practice is not maintained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rainwater harvesting required for new homes in Carver County?
How much credit does a rainwater reuse system earn?
What has to happen for the county to count water reuse toward my permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carver County
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