Collecting rainwater in barrels for outdoor use is legal in Lorain County and across Ohio, with no county permit required. If a cistern will supply water for drinking or household use, Ohio's private-water-systems rules (Ohio Department of Health) apply and Lorain County Public Health permits it.
Ohio does not restrict rain barrels or cisterns used for non-potable purposes such as garden and lawn irrigation, so residents can harvest rainwater freely with no Lorain County permit. The regulated case is potable use: a cistern collecting rainwater intended for drinking, cooking, or bathing is a 'private water system' under Ohio Administrative Code 3701-28, administered locally by Lorain County Public Health, which reviews and permits construction. Homeowners' associations may add appearance rules, and city zoning can affect placement of large tanks. For simple outdoor irrigation barrels, no approval is needed anywhere in the county.
Installing a potable cistern without the required Lorain County Public Health private-water-system permit can result in an order to correct and possible health-code penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Ohio and Lorain County have no separate 'tiny home' category. A tiny house on a permanent foundation is a dwelling that must meet the Ohio Residential Code a...
See how Lorain County's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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