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

Rainwater harvesting for outdoor and landscape use is encouraged statewide and is allowed in unincorporated Madera County. Under California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, codified at Water Code Section 10574, the use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water-right permit from the State Water Board. That means residential, commercial, and governmental landowners may install rain barrels and cistern systems to capture rooftop runoff for non-potable uses such as irrigating gardens and landscaping. Simple rain barrels connected to a downspout typically need no permit. For larger storage tanks, elevated cisterns, or systems plumbed into a structure, the County may require a building or plumbing permit to address structural support, overflow, backflow protection, and mosquito control, so confirm with Madera County Building before installing a sizeable system. Related to rainwater, California also makes residential graywater reuse easier: a single clothes-washer (laundry-to-landscape) graywater system serving a one- or two-family dwelling can be installed without a construction permit when it meets the conditions in the California Plumbing Code, which keeps simple landscape graywater systems low-barrier. Harvested rainwater and graywater must be used so they do not run off onto neighboring property or create standing water or a nuisance. Because rainwater capture reduces demand on wells and supports drought resilience, it fits well with Madera County's foothill and valley landscapes.