Rainwater harvesting for outdoor irrigation is legal and encouraged in Islip. No permit is needed for rain barrels under 100 gallons; cisterns that connect to plumbing require a building permit and backflow prevention per NY Plumbing Code.
New York has no statewide restriction on collecting rainwater. SCWA and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County run periodic rain-barrel workshops and subsidies. Barrels must have tight-fitting lids to prevent mosquito breeding under Suffolk County Sanitary Code Article 7. Systems that cross-connect to potable plumbing need an approved reduced-pressure backflow assembly. Harvested water is for outdoor and non-potable indoor use only.
Open or mosquito-breeding containers: Suffolk Health $100-$500 order to abate. Unpermitted plumbing cross-connection: stop-work plus fines up to $2,500.
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