Tennessee law permits residential rainwater collection without state permits and encourages it as a water conservation measure under green building incentives.
Tennessee does not regulate or restrict residential rainwater harvesting at the state level. Under common law and the absence of contrary statute, property owners may collect rooftop runoff for non-potable uses such as irrigation, gardening, and outdoor cleaning. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation actively promotes rainwater harvesting through its water conservation outreach. Systems that connect to plumbing supplying potable fixtures must comply with the Tennessee State Plumbing Code, which incorporates IPC requirements for cross-connection control. Larger non-residential systems may need a stormwater discharge consideration but routine rain barrels are unregulated.
Non-permitted residential rain barrels carry no penalty; cross-connection violations to potable plumbing can trigger plumbing code citations.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
See how Columbia's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.