Rainwater harvesting is legal and unregulated for residential use throughout Tennessee — including Franklin. There are no volume limits, no permit requirements, and no equipment/inspection requirements at the state level. Tennessee SB 2417 / HB 1850 expressly authorizes green infrastructure practices including rainwater harvesting. Franklin and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) actively encourage harvesting through the Tennessee Permanent Stormwater Management Manual (Chapter 5.4.10 Rainwater Harvesting), which credits rainwater harvesting against post-construction stormwater volume requirements.
Tennessee has no state law restricting how rainwater is captured, stored, or used for non-potable purposes. SB 2417 / HB 1850 (enacted) authorizes green infrastructure practices including rainwater harvesting systems for domestic non-potable use. TDEC's Tennessee Permanent Stormwater Management Manual § 5.4.10 (Rainwater Harvesting) treats cisterns/rain barrels as approved Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs). Franklin's Stormwater Management Ordinance (Municipal Code Title 18) and the Franklin Zoning Ordinance recognize green infrastructure for stormwater credits on development sites. Residential use cases (garden irrigation, landscape watering, toilet flushing with appropriate plumbing separation, vehicle washing) require no City permit. Larger commercial cisterns that connect to indoor plumbing may require plumbing-permit review under the Tennessee plumbing code (cross-connection / backflow). The TVA service area broadly encourages conservation, including rainwater capture. The City does not offer a formal rebate program for rain barrels at this time, but barrels and cisterns are unrestricted on residential lots.
There are no violations associated with installing or using residential rainwater harvesting systems in Franklin. Issues only arise if a system is plumbed into the potable water supply without an approved backflow prevention device (a Tennessee plumbing-code issue, not a Franklin ordinance issue), or if storage tanks violate accessory-structure size/setback rules in the Zoning Ordinance (typically only relevant for very large above-ground cisterns).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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