Tehama County, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Capturing rooftop rainwater is fully legal in unincorporated Tehama County and is supported by state law. Under the California Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Assembly Bill 1750, codified in the Water Code, including section 10574), any residential, commercial or governmental landowner may install, maintain and operate a rain barrel system used only for outdoor, non-potable purposes, and a landowner is not required to obtain a permit from a local public agency to do so. Collecting rainwater from your own rooftop also does not require a water-right permit from the State Water Board. The Act does include practical conditions: if installing a system requires disconnecting a downspout from a sewer, the local agency may require a permit for proper disconnection and capping; and a landowner installing a non-permitted system must notify the public water-system operator before installation, except where a rain barrel uses a cistern of less than 360 gallons. Tehama County has not adopted any ordinance prohibiting or restricting simple residential rain barrels. Larger cisterns, elevated tanks, or systems plumbed into household fixtures can trigger standard County building, plumbing or grading review under the adopted California building codes. The County General Plan's conservation policies (encouraging water reuse and efficient landscaping) are consistent with capturing rain for outdoor irrigation.