Cedar Rapids, IA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 35.25 adds UPC § 1601.1.1, Allowable Use of Alternative Water Sources, as a local amendment: permit approval of all alternative rainwater sources requires review and approval by the Utilities Director or designee. The section sits in the rainwater-catchment chapter of the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, adopted locally under Iowa Administrative Code 641-25 and Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 35.01, and is distinct from the general alternative-water-source approval in § 35.24, which covers reclaimed and reused water rather than rainwater specifically.

Because a cistern, rain barrel manifold, or catchment-and-distribution system that feeds fixtures or irrigation is plumbing work, it also triggers § 35.04's Plumbing Permit requirement, issued only to a Licensed State Contractor under Iowa Code Chapter 105, with an exception for minor repairs that alter no piping. The application must go through Cedar Rapids Building Services and include the fee set by City Council resolution, per § 35.05, and permits will not issue until that fee is paid to the City Treasurer under § 35.06. Once installed, a rainwater collection and distribution system that is not maintained or that the owner stops using must be abandoned, meaning disconnected in accordance with Chapter 35, under Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 29.49 (amending IPMC § 505.5.1), which names rainwater systems specifically alongside nonpotable water reuse systems. A property owner who disputes the Utilities Director's review, or a Plumbing Inspector's related determination, can appeal to the seven-member Plumbing Board of Appeals established by § 35.09, though the Board has no authority to waive the Code's requirements.