Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Dunedin. The city and SWFWMD promote rain barrels as a conservation tool, and there are no Dunedin-specific prohibitions, though structural cisterns may require building permits.
Florida law permits and supports residential rainwater harvesting, and Dunedin follows that approach. Standard rain barrels under 60 gallons typically need no permit. Larger above-ground cisterns or any pumped potable cross-connection setups must comply with the Florida Building Code and Dunedin's plumbing requirements, generally triggering a building permit when capacity exceeds residential thresholds or when integrated with irrigation systems. Inlets must include screens to keep debris out, and tanks must include a properly sized overflow. Dunedin's water utility actively promotes harvesting under SWFWMD's drought response, and HOAs may not prohibit reasonable rain barrels under Florida-Friendly Landscaping protections.
Permits violations for unpermitted plumbed cisterns; possible cross-connection citations from Dunedin Utilities for unprotected potable connections.
See how other cities in Pinellas County handle rainwater harvesting.
See how Dunedin's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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