Rainwater harvesting is expressly allowed in Oklahoma under the Water for 2060 Act and 82 O.S. §82-105. Tulsa encourages rain barrels and cisterns for landscape irrigation as a drought-mitigation tool; no state permit is required for private on-site use. Large cisterns over a few hundred gallons may need a plumbing permit if tied into irrigation systems. Backflow prevention is required if connected to potable supply.
Oklahoma is a rainwater-harvesting friendly state. Title 82 of the Oklahoma Statutes §82-105 and the 2012 Water for 2060 Act affirm the right of property owners to collect, store, and use rainwater from rooftops and impervious surfaces for beneficial use on their property without a water-right permit. Tulsa, which experiences recurring summer droughts and heat domes, actively encourages rainwater harvesting through Storm Water Quality and the Tulsa Master Gardeners program. Simple rain barrels (55-100 gallons) require no permit. Larger cisterns (over ~500 gallons) or systems plumbed to indoor fixtures require a plumbing permit from Tulsa Development Services and must comply with the Oklahoma State Plumbing Code. Any connection between harvested rainwater and the municipal potable supply requires an approved backflow preventer (typically an RPZ) and annual testing, per Tulsa Water Utility cross-connection rules. Harvested water is best used for landscape irrigation, toilet flushing (with appropriate treatment), and vehicle washing. During drought stages declared by Tulsa Water, outdoor watering restrictions do not apply to non-potable rainwater from private cisterns. The Oklahoma Conservation Commission offers cost-share rebates for qualifying rainwater systems.
Using harvested rainwater is legal statewide. Violations occur only when plumbing is installed without a permit or cross-connection with potable supply lacks backflow protection; those are plumbing code violations up to $500.
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