Chico has no ordinance prohibiting rainwater catchment. California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (AB 1750, Cal. Water Code §10574) authorizes residential, commercial, and government landowners to install rooftop rainwater capture systems without a state water-right permit. Small rain barrels are unregulated; larger cisterns must meet California Plumbing Code (CCR Title 24, Part 5) and city building-permit thresholds.
AB 1750 (2012), codified at Cal. Water Code §10574, makes rooftop rainwater capture lawful and exempts it from the State Water Resources Control Board's water-rights permit requirement. Under the California Plumbing Code (CPC) Chapter 17, rainwater catchment systems used only for outdoor non-spray drip irrigation generally do not require a plumbing permit up to 5,000 gallons; cisterns over 360 gallons used with spray irrigation, or any indoor-use system, require permits and backflow protection. Chico does not appear to layer additional restrictions on residential rain barrels. Captured rainwater is non-potable and may not be used for drinking. Cal Water customers should also note that rain-barrel use does not change Cal Water Schedule 14.1 outdoor-watering-day restrictions for potable water.
Operating a large cistern (over the CPC permit threshold) without a permit is a building-code violation enforceable under CMC Title 16 and CMC Ch. 1.14. Using captured rainwater for potable purposes without proper treatment violates the California Plumbing Code and Health & Safety Code.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Chico, CA
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Chico, CA
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Chico, CA
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Chico, CA
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Chico, CA
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Chico, CA
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See how Chico's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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