Davis, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Davis Municipal Code § 40.42.180
- Rainwater features status
- Recommended, not required (subsection c)
- Mandatory element
- City stormwater ordinance compliance (subsection b)
- Reviewing body
- Community Development & Sustainability Dept.
- Penalty authority
- Municipal Code Chapter 23
Summary
Davis encourages, but does not mandate, rain gardens, cisterns, and other rainwater-capture landscape features under its Water Efficient Landscaping ordinance, while separately requiring covered projects to meet the city's stormwater runoff ordinance.
(a) Stormwater management practices minimize runoff and increase infiltration which recharges groundwater and improves water quality. Implementing stormwater best management practices into the landscape and grading design plans to minimize runoff and to increase on-site retention and infiltration are encouraged. (b) Projects shall comply with applicable city requirements for stormwater best management practices as detailed in the city's stormwater runoff ordinance or equivalent. Measures shall be incorporated and shown in the applicable plans subject to review and approval. (c) Rain gardens, cisterns, and other landscapes features and practices that increase rainwater capture and create opportunities for infiltration and/or on-site storage are recommended.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4915048; v22 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
42, covering new and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more). Subsection (a) states that implementing stormwater best management practices into landscape and grading design to minimize runoff and increase on-site retention and infiltration is encouraged, not required. Subsection (c) is the specific rainwater harvesting text: rain gardens, cisterns, and other landscape features and practices that increase rainwater capture and create opportunities for infiltration or on-site storage are recommended. Neither clause imposes a numeric capture requirement, a permit condition, or a design mandate for these particular features, which distinguishes them from the recycled water rule in the same article.
050. So a rain garden or cistern itself is optional, but the broader stormwater compliance obligation that a project might satisfy with one is not.
Violations & Fines
Because the rainwater capture language in Section 40.42.180(c) is advisory, the city does not cite a project for skipping a rain garden or cistern. Enforcement attaches instead to the separate mandatory stormwater compliance duty in subsection (b): projects that fail to incorporate and show required stormwater best management practices on their landscape and grading plans can be held up at plan check or design review, and Section 40.42.220 allows enforcement and penalties under Municipal Code Chapter 23 for noncompliance with the article generally, including the plan-showing requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a rain garden required on a Davis property?
What stormwater rule in Davis is actually mandatory?
Which projects does the stormwater section apply to?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis
California rules heatmap·Compare Davis to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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