Richmond, VA Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)

Virginia has no statewide prohibition on rainwater harvesting and no water-rights bar comparable to Colorado or Utah. Richmond Department of Public Utilities actively promotes rain barrels through its RVAH2O stormwater program, and residents can receive stormwater utility fee credits of up to 50 percent under the Stormwater Credit Manual for approved on-site runoff reduction practices including rain barrels, cisterns, and rain gardens. Typical residential rain barrels under 100 gallons do not require a building or plumbing permit. Larger cisterns over 500 gallons or any potable connection fall under the Virginia USBC Plumbing Code (13VAC5-63) and require a plumbing permit plus cross-connection backflow prevention per VA DPOR rules. Non-potable use for lawn irrigation and garden watering is the common use case and is unrestricted. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (VA Code §10.1-2109) and Richmond Chapter 50 (Stormwater) actually incentivize harvesting as a credited Best Management Practice within the Resource Protection Area.