Peoria, IL Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Sec. 5-303-14 of the city's Erosion, Sediment, and Stormwater Control Ordinance lists rain barrels, above- and below-ground rain cisterns, and other manufactured underground storage as accepted forms of a water reuse system, one of the approved volume control practices developers can install to satisfy the requirement in Sec. 5-29(b) that new impervious development capture the first inch of runoff on site. The code notes these systems commonly intercept rooftop runoff for irrigation reuse, and that a storage system without a reuse application does not count toward volume control because it provides no infiltration credit.

Design specifications require an overflow pipe to bypass large storms, a minimum 10-foot setback from the nearest building foundation unless the system is waterproofed, and pretreatment such as screens or trash racks to keep debris out of the unit. The system must be designed to fully drain within 72 hours so it is ready to capture the next storm; if a low-flow pump dewaters the facility, the owner must follow a written operation plan matching that schedule. Because this guidance sits inside the stormwater ordinance rather than a standalone landscaping chapter, it functions as a compliance tool for permitted development (Sec.

5-77 require documenting volume control practices in the stormwater management plan submitted with a permit application) rather than a general residential rain barrel rule; there is no separate provision regulating a homeowner installing a rain barrel outside that permitting context.