RainWise Rebates

RainWise rebates that cover most or all of the cost of installing cisterns and/or rain gardens on your property. To receive a rebate, you must be in an eligible area, connected to the combined sewer system, and work with a RainWise-trained contractor.

Steps to Receive Your Rebate

1. Check Your Eligibility

Visit our eligibility page to confirm that your property is in a RainWise eligible area. If your property is in a RainWise eligible area, you will be prompted to submit a RainWise Eligibility Form to determine if your property’s stormwater contributes to the combined sewer system.

2. Find a Contractor

Hire your preferred RainWise-trained contractor after exploring rain garden or cistern designs for your property. Contractors will help maximize your rebate amount.

3. Project Design and Build

Your contractor will work with you through the pre-inspection, construction, and post-inspection process.

4. Submit Paperwork and Receive Rebate

Complete your rebate application with your contractor and submit it for approval. Your rebate check will be sent within 4 – 8 weeks after the paperwork is submitted.

5. Maintain Your Project

Rain gardens and cisterns need regular care to work well. To keep them functioning and looking good, make sure to keep up with basic maintenance.

Two people standing next to a black cistern up against a red house

How Rebates are Calculated

The rebate amount is based on the amount of roof area captured and the type of system installed. The rebate for rain gardens is up to $13.12 per square foot of roof area, and up to $9.91 per square foot of roof area for cisterns. The rebate is higher for rain gardens because they are more effective at removing water from the combined sewer system. Also, rain gardens do not have a limit on how much water they can capture. 

Customers work with their contractor to choose the type of cistern and size of rain garden. To get the full rebate amount, the cisterns and rain garden must control all of the roof runoff. Customers may choose smaller cisterns or rain gardens and will be eligible for a lower rebate. 

Below are some examples of a customers’ choices and what the potential rebate would be. Remember, your contractor will help you work through design ideas, make a plan, and calculate your rebate before you get started. 

Priyanka’s RainWise Project

Priyanka’s property is in a RainWise area and is eligible for cisterns and rain gardens. All of Priyanka’s downspouts connect to the combined sewer system and are eligible for RainWise. Her contractor has confirmed they can capture all of the roof runoff and measured the roof. The total roof area is 1245 square feet. 

Cistern Scenario 1: Priyanka installs two cisterns that will fully capture the roof runoff and maximizes her rebate at $12,093. 

Cistern Scenario 2: Priyanka wants a smaller cistern that will fit under a window, but it will manage less water, so her rebate would be $9,638. 

Rain Garden Scenario 1: Priyanka has a large yard and is excited about some new landscaping. Her contractor installs a 6’x10’ rain garden to capture the whole roof area, and Priyanka gets the highest rebate of $16,334. 

Rain Garden Scenario 2: Priyanka wants her new rain garden in her narrow side yard. RainWise installations have to manage at least 50% of the water from the roof. Her contractor calculates that based on her roof size, she could have a 3’x8’ rain garden. Priyanka’s rebate is $10,334. 

Cistern to Rain Garden: Priyanka wants a rain garden but also wants to store water that she can use to water her other gardens. Priyanka decides on one cistern that will flow to a rain garden that is 4’x10’. Her rebate is $16,334. 

Rebates cover 90-100% of the total cost of an installation. The customer pays any cost not covered by the rebate. Here are some examples of when a rebate might not cover the full project: 

  1. A customer is installing a cistern that will collect water from a downspout on the front of the house. The customer chooses to put the cistern around the side of the house instead. The contractor will need to install extra pipe to direct the water to the cistern. The customer also wants this pipe painted to match the house. The extra materials and contractor time to install and paint could exceed the rebate amount. 
  1. The customer wants to install a rain garden where it would overlap the corner of an existing patio. The customer decides they want to remove the whole patio. The rebate will cover removing the part needed to install the rain garden but does not cover removing the whole patio. This would be an additional cost for the customer. 
  1. A customer’s gutters are sagging and leaking. The gutters need to be repaired before a RainWise system can be installed. RainWise does not rebate for the cost of gutter work, so this would be an out-of-pocket cost for the customer. 

Financial Support

The RainWise program also offers financial resources to help homeowners pay for the upfront costs and smaller out of pocket expenses associated with RainWise installations. We hope to make RainWise accessible to low income and underserved communities.

RainWise Access Grant

If you are income-qualified or represent a not-for-profit organization, you may be eligible for a RainWise Access Grant through Stewardship Partners to help cover out-of-pocket expenses. Learn more about the RainWise Access Grant on the Stewardship Partners website.

Vendor Payment Option

If you need help with upfront costs, some RainWise contractors offer a Vendor Payment Option. The contractor pays the installation costs upfront, submits the rebate paperwork to RainWise, and receives the rebate check directly from the County or City. To find out if a contractor offers the Vendor Payment Option, look for VPO in their profile on the Find a Contractor page.