No Kern County-specific ordinance restricts residential rainwater harvesting in unincorporated areas. Under the California Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, property owners may capture and use rainwater from rooftops without a water right permit.
The Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (California Water Code Sections 10570-10574, added by AB 1750) authorizes the onsite capture, storage, and use of rainwater. Water Code Section 10574 provides that use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water right permit under Section 1201. Section 10573 defines a rain barrel system as a rainwater capture system that does not use electricity or a water pump and is not connected to a potable water system, and defines a rainwater capture system as a facility designed to capture, retain, and store rainwater flowing off a building rooftop for subsequent onsite use. The Legislature found in Section 10571 that captured rainwater can contribute significantly to local water supplies and reduces demand for potable water.
Simple rooftop rain barrels are exempt from water right permitting. Capturing water that has already entered a storm drain, flood control channel, or stream channel falls outside the Act's definition of rainwater and could require a water right permit under Water Code Section 1201; larger plumbed systems may also require building or plumbing permits from Kern County Public Works.
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