Graywater laws and incentives are all over the map. You’ll need to do some searching to find out approved uses for graywater where you are. Start with “graywater regulations in my area”.
The least intrusive way to use graywater is to carry buckets from the shower out to the garden. A step up is to run a hose out the window from a full bathtub and use a simple hand siphon pump to start the flow.
The water hasn’t even gone down the drain yet, so technically it’s still just bathwater. (It’s still important to prevent it from pooling outside where it can come into contact with people or animals. See our Build page for more.)
The next step up the stairway of complexity and legality is Laundry to Landscape. In many places, you can do this work without a permit, provided you follow best practices:
You might try searching “laundry to landscape graywater rebate” because many forward-thinking places actually offer incentives for this work, whether you do it yourself or hire someone else.
But here’s an important note: You may be required to submit a plan before you do any work in order to qualify. This is different from the “Yeah! Go ahead!” approach outlined above.
So whereas you don’t necessarily need to check with the authorities for a permit, you might have to check with them if you want to get any money from them.
An organization called IAPMO, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, comes up with safety standards for plumbing and mechanical products and systems. Governments at all levels can follow, modify, or ignore these standards. Their recommendations for graywater plumbing are quite good, but not everyone has clued in yet.
You can read their Uniform Plumbing Code online – look for Chapter 15, Alternate Water Sources for Nonpotable Applications – but you’ll still need to search out whether your local authorities have adopted or adapted them.
Note that these standards are only for construction and installation – they don’t mention the importance of using biocompatible soaps, detergents and other products. See our Soaps page for guidance on this crucial element.
As long as the United States leadership respects the existence of the Environmental Protection Agency, the online tool Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer (REUSExplorer) may be a useful aid in tracking down your local graywater regulations (you can also use it to look up rainwater laws). Depending on the difficulty of the state you’re interested in, it can be a very good resource.
You can also keep updated on the latest EPA news on graywater laws across the US by periodically checking their News in Water Reuse Regulations and Guidelines page.
Summaries of greywater regulations in Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana, with links to sources for further study.
Read More » about Greywater regulations in UT, ID, NM, WY & MT with links to codesGraywater Central supports the recommendation to update plumbing codes to require graywater-ready plumbing in certain construction situations.
Read More » about Graywater-Ready Plumbing: A Cheap Fix for an Expensive Water CrisisThe kitchen sink is a major water user in the home. So can you use kitchen greywater in the yard?
Read More » about Can you use kitchen sink water in your yard?A summary of current greywater regulations in Colorado, Arizona, Washington State, Oregon, Nevada, and California, with links to sources for further study.
Read More » about Greywater regulations in CO, AZ, WA, OR, NV & CA with links to codes
