Salt Lake County, UT Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Utah is the only Western state that historically required registration to collect rainwater. Under Utah Code Sec. 73-3-1.5, a person who diverts and uses precipitation for direct beneficial use on the parcel where it was collected is not required to obtain a water right if they comply with one of two volume limits: (a) up to 100 gallons stored in above-ground containers without registration; or (b) up to 2,500 gallons stored in underground containers with required registration through the Utah Division of Water Rights' online portal (utahdwre.water.utah.gov, no fee). A second container of the same maximum size is also permitted on the same parcel. Salt Lake County does not impose any additional cap beyond the state statute. Practical compliance for typical Salt Lake County residential properties: a 50-gallon rain barrel on a downspout requires no registration; a 200-gallon series of cisterns or a buried 1,000-gallon cistern requires registration. Captured water must be used on the parcel where collected - it cannot be sold, transferred off-site, or used to irrigate a neighbor's land. The Salt Lake County Water Efficient Landscape Design ordinance (Title 19 Chapter 19.77) supports the use of rainwater harvesting as one of the qualifying water conservation strategies. Salt Lake City Public Utilities also encourages cisterns and rain gardens as part of its water conservation messaging. Health considerations: rainwater is not potable without treatment, and roof runoff from asphalt-shingle roofs can contain trace metals, so harvested water is best used for landscape irrigation rather than for drinking water or vegetable garden food crops without treatment. There is no county building permit required for a simple rain-barrel install, but a buried cistern over a certain size may require a building permit and may need to be inspected as part of plumbing and structural integrity.