My neighbor told me my rain barrel was illegal. He was totally wrong.

Been collecting rain for 2 years off my garage roof in Portland. Neighbor Bob said city code only allows 50 gallons per barrel. I checked with the city water bureau and found out he was confusing the rules for commercial properties. Residential has no limit as long as it's covered. Now I added a second 100 gallon barrel and he won't talk to me. Anybody else get bad advice from someone who "knows the rules"?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.kevin1mo ago

Dude, that's exactly what happened with my HOA guy in Denver. He swore up and down anything over 55 gallons was illegal and kept threatening to report me. I spent a whole weekend digging through city code online, turns out he was confusing it with some old rule about uncovered barrels for mosquitos. I now have three 100-gallon tanks linked together and he gives me this look every time he walks past my garden. Feels good to be right though, doesn't it?

lopez.karen1mo ago

Oh yeah, been there. I actually print out the relevant code sections and highlight the key lines, then keep a copy in my garage for when someone questions my setup. Saved me a headache when a neighbor called the city about my 200 gallon rain tank. The inspector showed up, I handed him the highlighted code and a cold drink, and he was out in ten minutes. Also helpful to note that most HOA rules and city codes are two different things, so even if you're legal with the city the HOA might still have their own rules buried in their covenants. But once you've got the actual city code on your side, they usually back off fast.

gavinw451mo ago

Man you get that look too? lol. Its like they're personally offended that you found the loophole in their made up rules. I had a similar thing with my backyard chickens, neighbor kept insisting they were a "nuisance" because of the rooster crowing. Took me forever to find the specific ordinance that said roosters were fine as long as they were a certain distance from the property line. Now I just wave at him every morning when I let them out and he just shakes his head. Its a special kind of satisfaction when you can prove someone wrong with their own city's paperwork.