Del Norte County, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Rainwater harvesting is legal and lightly regulated in unincorporated Del Norte County. No county ordinance has been identified that bans or restricts capturing rooftop rainwater for outdoor, nonpotable use. The governing framework is California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (AB 1750), which provides that using rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water-right permit from the State Water Resources Control Board, and that a landowner is not required to obtain a permit or other authorization from a local public agency as a condition of installing, maintaining, or operating a rain-barrel system used only for outdoor, nonpotable uses or groundwater infiltration. The main exception is plumbing-related: if installing a rain-barrel system requires disconnecting a downspout from the sewer system, the local agency may require a permit for proper disconnection and capping of that sewer connection. For larger cisterns, the Act sets notification thresholds (no notice to the public water system is required for a cistern under 360 gallons; larger systems may require prior notice to the water-system operator). Given Del Norte's heavy rainfall, harvesting is practical and unrestricted for typical residential barrels and tanks. Note that systems intended for potable reuse, or large engineered tanks tied to structures, may still involve building-code review through the County's Building Inspection Division.