Siskiyou County, CA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Siskiyou County does not have a county ordinance that prohibits or specially permits harvesting rainwater on residential property, and collecting rooftop rainwater for garden and landscape use is legal. The controlling law is the statewide Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Assembly Bill 1750). Under that act, the use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water-right permit from the State Water Resources Control Board, and a landowner is not required to obtain a permit or authorization from a local public agency simply to install, maintain, or operate a rain barrel system - defined as a capture system that uses no electricity or pump and is not connected to a potable water system. Captured rainwater is intended for outdoor, non-potable uses such as irrigation, or for infiltration to recharge groundwater. There are limited exceptions: if installing a rain barrel requires disconnecting a downspout from a sewer connection, the local agency may require a permit to properly cap that sewer line, and larger or potable-use systems can trigger building-code, health, or notification requirements. Because Siskiyou County overlies stressed groundwater basins (Scott and Shasta valleys), rainwater capture is generally encouraged as a conservation practice. Larger cisterns or tanks tied into a structure may still need a building permit under the county building code, so confirm tank size and plumbing with the county Building Division.