Kentucky does not preempt residential rainwater harvesting and Louisville Metro has no ordinance restricting rain barrels or cisterns for outdoor use. Louisville MSD actively promotes harvesting through a 58-gallon rain barrel program via the Louisville Nature Center and pays a $100 per-downspout incentive under its Downspout Disconnection Program.
Kentucky has no statewide statute restricting collection of rainwater from a private rooftop, and the Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances contains no chapter prohibiting or permitting rain barrels, cisterns, or other rainwater harvesting devices for landscape irrigation. Residential rain barrels do not require a building permit when used outdoors at grade for non-potable uses such as garden watering. Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) actively encourages harvesting: it operates a 58-gallon rain barrel program with the Louisville Nature Center, where food-grade barrels are converted by Louisville Youthbuild and sold at workshop pricing. MSD also pays a one-time $100 incentive for each downspout legally disconnected from the combined sewer system under its Downspout Disconnection Program (call MSD Customer Relations at 502.540.6000 or email CustomerRelations@LouisvilleMSD.org for an inspection before doing work). Larger cisterns, indoor plumbing connections, or systems intended for potable or graywater reuse fall under the Kentucky Plumbing Code (815 KAR 20:191) and require a plumbing permit and backflow prevention. New developments of one acre or more must implement Green Infrastructure / Best Management Practices under MSD's 2013 design regulations, where harvesting structures may count toward stormwater volume credits. Cross-connection to the public water supply is prohibited under MSD wastewater/stormwater discharge regulations.
There are no Louisville-specific penalties for installing a residential rain barrel for outdoor use. However, cross-connecting a harvesting system to the potable water line without an approved backflow preventer violates the Kentucky Plumbing Code and MSD discharge regulations and can trigger Louisville Water Company shutoff, MSD enforcement action, and civil penalties.
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