Lynwood, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)
Key Facts
- Status
- Rain gardens and cisterns recommended, not required
- Governing section
- Stormwater Management, Municipal Code § 25-45-20
- Disclosure duty
- Design plan must identify any harvesting tech used
- Contact for rules
- City Public Works Dept. or regional water quality board
- Enforcing agency
- City of Lynwood Development Services Department
Summary
In the City of Lynwood, Municipal Code section 25-45-20 encourages stormwater best management practices in landscape and grading design, and its subsection C specifically recommends rain gardens, cisterns, and similar features that increase rainwater capture and support on-site infiltration or storage. None of these measures is mandatory under this section of the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance.
A. Stormwater management practices to minimize runoff and increase infiltration which recharges groundwater and improves water quality. Implementing stormwater best management practices into the landscape and grading design plans to minimize runoff and to increase on site retention and infiltration are encouraged.
B. Project applicants shall refer to the city public works department or local regional water quality control board for information on any applicable stormwater ordinances and stormwater management plans.
C. Rain gardens, cisterns, and other landscape features and practices that increase rainwater capture and create opportunities for infiltration and/or on site storage are recommended.
Full Breakdown
Section 25-45-20, Stormwater Management, is part of Article 45, Lynwood's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO). Subsection A encourages implementing stormwater best management practices into landscape and grading design plans to minimize runoff and increase on-site retention and infiltration. Subsection B directs project applicants to the city's Public Works Department or the regional water quality control board for any applicable stormwater ordinances and management plans. Subsection C recommends rain gardens, cisterns, and other landscape features and practices that increase rainwater capture and create infiltration or on-site storage opportunities, without requiring their installation.
The same design intent appears earlier in the ordinance: section 25-45-11(B)(11) requires a landscape design plan to identify any rain harvesting or catchment technologies proposed, such as rain gardens or cisterns, when a project uses them, and section 25-45-11(B)(10) requires the plan to identify infiltration beds, swales, basins, constructed wetlands, retention ponds, and pervious or porous surfaces where they are used. The WELO reaches projects under section 25-45-3 once they hit 2,500 square feet of new or rehabilitated landscape for public agency, private development, or developer-installed work, or 5,000 square feet for homeowner-installed landscapes.
Development Services reviews the landscape documentation package, including whatever rainwater capture features a plan proposes, under section 25-45-6 before approving the permit, plan check, or design review.
Violations & Fines
Because section 25-45-20(C) recommends rather than requires rain gardens, cisterns, and similar features, a project cannot be cited for omitting them. Enforcement under the WELO instead runs through section 25-45-7, covering compliance with the ordinance's mandatory elements such as the water budget and irrigation efficiency standards, and through section 25-45-6, which lets Development Services deny a landscape documentation package that fails the ordinance's required criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rainwater harvesting required for new landscaping in Lynwood?
What must I disclose if I do add a rain garden or cistern?
Who do I contact about Lynwood's broader stormwater rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynwood
California rules heatmap·Compare Lynwood to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Rainwater Harvesting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle rainwater harvesting.