Collecting rainwater is legal in Michigan and Kent County places no restriction on it. Rain barrels and cisterns for lawn and garden use are allowed; only cross-connections to your drinking-water plumbing are regulated by health and plumbing codes.
Michigan does not restrict private rainwater collection, and Kent County imposes no rain-barrel ordinance. Residents may capture roof runoff in barrels or cisterns to irrigate lawns and gardens. The only regulatory concern is protecting the potable water supply: if a rainwater system is ever tied into household plumbing, it must not create a cross-connection with the drinking-water system, which is controlled by the Michigan Plumbing Code and local health rules administered by the Kent County Health Department. For ordinary outdoor barrels there is no permit, size cap, or setback rule. Some municipalities actively encourage rain barrels as a stormwater best-management practice.
No county penalty for collecting rainwater. Illegal cross-connections to potable plumbing are enforced under the Michigan Plumbing Code and Health Department rules.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Grand Rapids's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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