Tucson, AZ Landscaping Rules: Rainwater Harvesting (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- New commercial development after June 1, 2010
- Water budget target
- 50% of landscape water from on-site harvesting
- Compliance deadline
- 3 years from final certificate of occupancy
- Annual reporting to
- Tucson Water
- Key exemptions
- Parks, schools, golf courses, cemeteries, farms
Summary
Since June 1, 2010, Tucson requires all new commercial development to submit a rainwater harvesting plan and, within three years of occupancy, meet 50% of its yearly landscape water budget from on-site harvested rainwater, per City Code §§ 6-181–6-188.
All commercial development and site plans submitted after June 1, 2010, shall include a rainwater harvesting plan. ... No later than three (3) years from the date of issuance of a final certificate of occupancy, and for every year thereafter, fifty (50) percent of the estimated yearly landscape water budget shall be provided by rainwater harvested on-site by a rainwater harvesting system constructed pursuant to an approved rainwater harvesting plan. ... Failure to meet the fifty (50) percent rainwater harvesting requirement for landscape irrigation shall constitute water wastage... shall constitute a violation of section 27-15 of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-150: Current through June 23, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-182 requires that "all commercial development and site plans submitted after June 1, 2010, shall include a rainwater harvesting plan," consisting of a landscape water budget calculating the estimated annual irrigation water need, and an implementation plan showing how capture, conveyance, storage, and distribution will harvest rainwater on-site, plus water metering through either a separate meter or an irrigation sub-meter. The plan is submitted with the site and landscape plans, and the director of development services may authorize alternative compliance where topography, soils, or the landscape-to-site ratio make strict adherence unreasonable.
Under § 6-183, developments must actually construct the approved system, and "no later than three (3) years from the date of issuance of a final certificate of occupancy," 50% of the yearly landscape water budget must come from on-site harvested rainwater every year thereafter: except in years when annual precipitation falls below the amount set in the development standards. Owners may request a plan revision within that three-year window only for a calculation error, a subsequent landscape variance, or new site-condition data. Section 6-185 exempts public parks, botanical gardens, public/private outdoor recreation facilities, schools, day care centers, golf course playing areas, cemeteries, natural open space, and crop production from the 50% requirement.
Owners must file an annual water-use budget report with Tucson Water under § 6-186, including monthly rainfall totals from an on-site or SAHRA gauge and monthly water-use data. Under § 6-187, failing to meet the 50% requirement is treated as "water wastage" and a violation of § 27-15, and the development services director or Tucson Water director can require a third-party landscape irrigation audit paid for by the property owner. Section 6-184 separately voids any deed restriction that prohibits installing a rainwater harvesting system on property transferred after June 1, 2010.
Violations & Fines
Failure to meet the 50% rainwater-harvesting requirement is treated as water wastage and a violation of Code § 27-15 under § 6-187, and the city can order a third-party landscape irrigation audit at the owner's expense; civil liability under this provision does not preclude other city enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tucson require rainwater harvesting for all new buildings?
How much of a commercial property's landscape water must come from harvested rainwater?
What happens if a commercial property doesn't meet the 50% rainwater requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tucson
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How other cities in Pima County handle rainwater harvesting.