You may be joking about that, but it is indeed a crime in California to collect rain water. Don’t believe me? I suggest you try doing it and let the government know it,and you’ll find yourself in jail with some pretty hefty fines to pay.
I was joking about that but in CO it is against the law to collect rain water for personal use around the house. In MD they tax you for the amount of rainfall that runs off your roof into the sewer system.