Rainwater harvesting is unrestricted across Kanawha County. West Virginia has no statute limiting rain collection, and with about 44 inches of annual rainfall, rain barrels and cisterns for garden and lawn use are legal everywhere from Charleston to Nitro.
West Virginia places no legal barrier on capturing rainwater, and neither Kanawha County nor its cities add one, so residents may install rain barrels, gutter-fed tanks, and cisterns for outdoor irrigation and other non-potable use. The county's wet Appalachian climate makes collection easy and popular for gardens on the valley floors and ridge homesteads alike. A system plumbed into a home's potable supply falls under the West Virginia-adopted State Plumbing Code and needs a licensed plumber, but a freestanding outdoor barrel is simply allowed. Steep lots benefit from capture that slows runoff down the hillside, reducing erosion into the Kanawha and Elk River watersheds.
None for standard outdoor collection. No West Virginia statute or Kanawha County ordinance penalizes rainwater harvesting for irrigation. A system tied into indoor potable plumbing must meet the state plumbing code and use a licensed plumber.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kanawha County, WV
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Kanawha County, WV
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Kanawha County, WV
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