Hendersonville, TN Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Tennessee has no state law restricting how rainwater is captured, stored, or used for non-potable purposes such as garden irrigation, landscape watering, vehicle washing, or — with proper plumbing separation and backflow prevention — toilet flushing. TDEC's Tennessee Permanent Stormwater Management Manual § 5.4.10 (Rainwater Harvesting) treats cisterns and rain barrels as approved Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) creditable against post-construction stormwater requirements. Hendersonville's Stormwater Ordinance (Municipal Code Title 18 — Water and Storm Sewers; revised effective September 10, 2024) administers the City's post-construction stormwater management permit and integrates green-infrastructure crediting consistent with the TDEC manual. Residential rain barrels and small cisterns require no City permit. Larger commercial cisterns plumbed to indoor non-potable uses are subject to the Tennessee plumbing code for backflow prevention. The Hendersonville Utility District (HUD), which sources from Old Hickory Lake, supports water conservation generally but does not regulate rainwater harvesting on customer premises.