Huntington Beach, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, Water Code Sections 10570 through 10574, is the operative law for residents installing rain barrels or cisterns in Huntington Beach. Section 10574 is direct: use of rainwater collected from rooftops 'does not require a water right permit pursuant to Section 1201,' removing the state appropriative-permit barrier that would otherwise apply to capturing runoff. Section 10573(b) defines a 'rain barrel system' as a type that 'does not use electricity or a water pump and is not connected to or reliant on a potable water system,' distinguishing simple barrels from larger cistern systems that the Act also covers.

Section 10572 clarifies limits on that permission: nothing in the Act alters existing water rights, changes water rights law, authorizes unlicensed engineering work under the Professional Engineers Act, or impairs the California Building Standards Commission's authority over plumbing and building standards for these systems. The Legislature's findings in Section 10571 explain why: as impervious surfaces have spread across California, stormwater that once recharged groundwater instead runs to storm sewers and the ocean, while shifting precipitation patterns are moving more of the state's water supply from mountain snowpack to rainfall that current reservoirs were not built to capture. )' so the City's landscape architect can account for them in the water budget review.