Collecting rainwater is legal in Greenville County and throughout South Carolina. There is no state or county ban. Rooftop rain barrels and cisterns are permitted and even encouraged for non-potable outdoor uses like irrigation and stormwater control.
South Carolina places no statewide restriction on rainwater harvesting, and Greenville County does not prohibit it. Homeowners may install rain barrels and cisterns to capture rooftop runoff for non-potable uses such as landscape irrigation. Rainwater harvesting is actively promoted as a low-impact-development and stormwater-management practice in the state, and county stormwater programs treat on-site capture favorably. Potable (drinking) use of harvested rainwater is not permitted under state plumbing rules. Any large tank, structural support, or plumbing tie-in should meet the county's adopted building and plumbing codes, and an HOA may impose its own aesthetic conditions. Otherwise, standard residential rain barrels need no county permit.
No penalty for lawful residential rainwater collection. Improper cross-connection to potable plumbing would violate the adopted state plumbing code.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Simpsonville's rainwater harvesting rules stack up against other locations.
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