Monroe County, FL Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Section 114-107 of the Land Development Code sets the threshold for rainwater collection systems at 275 gallons. Any system exceeding that size requires a building permit under Chapter 6 of the Monroe County Code, and the permit application must include a site plan showing the system's location, the location of and permit for any electrical connection, and any proposed clearing or tree relocation needed to install it. A system of 275 gallons or less can skip the building permit entirely, but only if it is not proposed within any required setback, does not require an electrical connection, and does not require clearing or relocating a tree; adding any one of those elements pulls the smaller system back under the permit requirement.

Section 114-107(c) gives larger systems a path into the rear setback that would otherwise be off-limits: a rainwater collection system may be located within a required rear setback if a building permit is obtained, the system sits at least five feet from any property line, and screening is provided on every side visible to adjacent properties, either a solid fence at least six feet high or a Class B bufferyard. The rule works alongside the water conservation goals in Sections 114-46 and 114-106(c), which encourage cisterns and rain barrels as a way to reduce potable water use for irrigation and can reduce a site's stormwater retention obligation by the capacity of the plumbed system.