Jurupa Valley, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

The state Rainwater Capture Act, codified at Cal. Water Code §10574, expressly allows rooftop rainwater collection without a State Water Resources Control Board appropriative water-right permit. Combined with California Plumbing Code Chapter 17 (Nonpotable Rainwater Catchment Systems), the regulatory floor is: (1) rain barrels under 360 gallons used solely for outdoor, non-potable use are generally exempt from building-permit review; (2) larger cisterns and any system used for indoor non-potable applications (toilet flushing, clothes washing) require a plumbing permit and must meet CPC Chapter 17 design, backflow-prevention, and water-quality standards; (3) any potable use of harvested rainwater is heavily restricted. Jurupa Valley follows the statewide standard and has not adopted a more restrictive local rainwater ordinance. HOAs are barred by Cal. Civil Code §4735 from preventing reasonable water-efficient landscaping practices, which is generally read to extend to non-obtrusive rain barrels. JCSD operates rebates for water-efficient landscape conversions but does not require a separate rainwater-harvesting permit.