Modoc County, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

The Modoc County Code does not mention rainwater harvesting, rain barrels, or rooftop catchment, and the zoning code (Title 18) imposes no restriction on collecting rain. As a result, the controlling rules are California state law. The California Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Water Code Section 10573 and related provisions) authorizes residential, commercial, and governmental property owners to install and operate rainwater-capture systems that collect rainwater from rooftops without obtaining a water-rights permit from the State Water Resources Control Board. Larger or more complex systems, plumbing that ties captured water into a building's potable or indoor plumbing, or systems used for indoor/potable purposes are subject to the California Plumbing Code (Title 24) and review by the county environmental health and building departments. Simple outdoor-use rain barrels and cisterns connected only to downspouts and used for landscape irrigation generally need no county permit. Because Modoc is high desert with limited rainfall, captured rainwater is a supplemental, not primary, supply for most properties, and the county encourages but does not separately regulate it.