Montebello, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)
Key Facts
- Defined at
- Montebello Municipal Code § 8.36.020
- Applies to
- qualifying new/redevelopment planning priority projects
- Threshold example
- 1+ acre disturbed, 10,000+ sq ft impervious
- Paired strategies
- infiltration, evapotranspiration, biofiltration
- Reviewed by
- planning and community development department
- Not required for
- existing single-family homes below thresholds
Summary
Montebello's stormwater ordinance names 'rainfall harvest and use,' capturing runoff for irrigation or non-potable use, as one of the low-impact-development strategies larger new and redevelopment projects must build into their site design. It is not a mandate for existing homes, but the city's planning priority projects must integrate it alongside infiltration and biofiltration to control runoff.
"Rainfall harvest and use" means a LID BMP system designed to capture runoff, typically from a roof but can also include runoff capture from elsewhere within the site, and to provide for temporary storage until the harvested water can be used for irrigation or non-potable uses. The harvested water may also be used for potable water uses if the system includes disinfection treatment and is approved for such use by the local building department. ... A.Objective. The provisions of this section establish requirements for construction activities and facility operations of development and redevelopment projects to comply with the current municipal NPDES permit, lessen the water quality impacts of development by using smart growth practices, and integrate LID practices and standards for stormwater pollution mitigation through means of infiltration, evapotranspiration, biofiltration, and rainfall harvest and use.
Full Breakdown
Section 8.36.020 of the Montebello Municipal Code defines 'rainfall harvest and use' as a low-impact-development BMP system that captures runoff, typically from a roof but also from elsewhere on a site, and stores it temporarily so it can later be used for irrigation or other non-potable purposes; the harvested water can even go to potable use if the system adds disinfection treatment approved by the local building department. Section 8.36.110(A) folds rainfall harvest and use into the objective of the city's new-development and redevelopment stormwater controls, alongside infiltration, evapotranspiration and biofiltration, for projects that meet the chapter's planning priority thresholds, which include developments of an acre or more adding ten thousand square feet of impervious surface, parking lots of five thousand square feet or twenty-five or more spaces, and other categories listed in Section 8.36.110(C).
Where a project cannot retain its full stormwater quality design volume on site, Section 8.36.110(E)(3)(c) requires the applicant to show, through an engineer or landscape architect's site-specific analysis, that it applied the maximum feasible green roofs and rainwater harvest and use before claiming technical infeasibility and moving to biofiltration instead. The planning and community development department reviews these LID plans as part of project approval.
Violations & Fines
Rainfall harvest and use itself is not separately penalized; it is a design tool a qualifying project must document in its LID plan. Failing to meet Section 8.36.110's LID requirements at all is enforced the same way as other Chapter 8.36 violations, as a misdemeanor under Section 8.36.140 carrying up to a one thousand dollar fine and six months in jail, plus cost recovery and possible injunction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Montebello property have to install rainwater harvesting?
Can harvested rainwater be used for drinking water in Montebello?
What happens if a developer skips the required rainwater harvest and use analysis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Montebello
California rules heatmap·Compare Montebello to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Rainwater Harvesting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle rainwater harvesting.