Oregon law lets you collect rain and snowmelt from a rooftop or other artificial impervious surface without a water right. Marion County has no ordinance banning rain barrels; large tanks or indoor plumbing may need a building or plumbing permit.
Under Oregon Revised Statutes 537.141, collecting precipitation from an artificial impervious surface, such as a rooftop, and using that water does not require a water-right application, permit or certificate from the Oregon Water Resources Department. Marion County imposes no separate prohibition on residential rain barrels or cisterns. What is still regulated is scale and plumbing: exterior, non-potable irrigation systems generally need no plumbing permit, but larger storage (roughly over 5,000 gallons) may require a building permit, systems over 15,000 gallons must register with OWRD, and using rainwater for drinking triggers design and plumbing-permit requirements. You may not divert a stream, ditch or canal without a water right.
No county penalty for rooftop rainwater collection. Skipping a required building or plumbing permit for a large or plumbed system, or diverting a natural watercourse without a water right, can violate state building code or OWRD water law.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Marion County's curfew ordinance bars minors under 16 from any park or public place between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and minors 16 or 17 between midnight an...
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Salem's code states exterior lighting shall not shine or reflect onto adjacent properties or cast glare onto the right-of-way. Where no local standard applie...
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Salem's development code requires exterior lighting not to shine or reflect onto adjacent properties or cast glare onto the right-of-way. Fixtures must be sh...
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In Salem, garage-sale signs are temporary lawn signs: up to six square feet and 30 inches tall on private property. They cannot be attached to utility poles,...
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Salem's sign code is content-neutral, so political yard signs follow the same rules as other lawn signs: up to six square feet and 30 inches tall, displayed ...
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Marion County has no tiny-home-specific ordinance. A permanent tiny house on a foundation is regulated as a dwelling or accessory dwelling unit under state l...
See how Marion County's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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