Is it illegal to harvest rainwater in Texas?

LUBBOCK, Texas — Rainwater can provide a multitude of good, and with recent heavy precipitation in Lubbock and surrounding areas, residents may be looking to reap some of those benefits.

Rainwater harvesting in Texas is the collection and storage of natural water from precipitation events usually in rain barrels or catchment tanks. According to the City of Lubbock, harvesting rainwater can help reduce the flow to stormwater drains, lessen stream pollution and lower utility bills. It also has enormous health benefits (if treated properly) being a source of pure, soft, low-sodium water, according to the Texas Water Development Board.

While on a federal level it is not considered illegal, some states have certain restrictions and incentives when it comes to collecting rainwater.

For example, it is legal to harvest rainwater in the Lone Star State under several conditions noted in House Bill 3391 , including:

• the harvesting system must be incorporated into the design and construction of the building.
• safe sanitary drinking water standards are met.
• a person who intends to connect a rainwater harvesting system to a public water supply system must receive the consent of the municipality or owner

Several Texas laws support the collection of rainwater. In fact, Texas Property Code 202.007 prevents a homeowner’s association from prohibiting the use of rainwater harvesting systems. Under Texas Government Code 447.004 , the state also requires certain new state facilities to incorporate rainwater harvesting systems in their design.

For those interested in rainwater harvesting, the City of Lubbock Water Utilities Department provides several resources such as types of harvesting barrels and their costs, how to build a DIY barrel and barrel maintenance on its website .

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