Flagstaff, AZ Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Division 10-30.70 (Residential Sustainable Building Incentives) lets residential subdivisions and multifamily developments earn extra density in exchange for meeting sustainability standards in four areas: water resources, transportation and air quality, waste reduction, and energy efficiency. Under Section 10-30.70.030.B, a development that meets Section 10-30.70.040's minimum standards gets a density increase of 25 percent above the maximum density otherwise allowed in its zone. For the water resource prong, Section 10-30.70.040.A gives a developer four options, and dual-plumbing every building in the development so captured rainwater from an active harvesting system can be used alongside potable water, subject to applicable State, county and City standards, is one of them.

The other three options are skipping an oasis-zone landscape hydrozone, connecting 20-plus-unit developments to the City's reclaimed water system, or dual-plumbing for greywater reuse in toilets. A developer only has to satisfy one of the four to clear the water-resource prong, but must also clear the transportation/air-quality, waste-reduction, and energy-efficiency prongs to actually receive the 25 percent bonus. Compliance with the plumbing standard is verified during the Building Safety Section's plan review and inspection process, and the agreement to build under this section is recorded as a residential sustainable building incentive agreement against the property under Section 10-30.70.050.