Rain Ready Alabama, run by the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility with ADEM Section 319 funding, reimburses up to 75% of the cost of a rain garden, bioretention area, bioswale, or permeable pavement project on a residential property. The standard reimbursement is capped at $2,500 per household, and the program only reaches properties inside specific ADEM-designated watersheds, so the first step is checking whether your address qualifies.
Key takeaways
- Rain Ready Alabama reimburses up to 75% of the cost of a rain garden, bioretention area, bioswale, or permeable pavement, with the standard reimbursement capped at $2,500 per household (eng.auburn.edu).
- Your property has to fall inside an ADEM-designated impaired watershed with an approved management plan. There is no fixed city list. Eligibility is checked through an interactive map on the program page.
- The process runs in four steps: an Interest Form, a full Application, Implementation, and a Reimbursement Form. You need approval before you start work.
- The 2026 round has ended. Auburn says the program continues in 2027 and that funding availability varies from year to year, so sign up for updates and apply early when it reopens.
How Rain Ready Alabama works
The program is administered by the Auburn University Stormwater Research Facility with funding from ADEM's Section 319 Nonpoint Source grant, which targets water-quality improvements in specific impaired watersheds rather than the whole state. For the rain garden, bioretention, bioswale, and permeable pavement category, the official program page states you can be reimbursed for up to 75% of project costs, and the standard reimbursement is capped at $2,500 per household. Two other lines under the same program, streambank stabilization and septic pump-out, do carry their own explicit caps ($15,000 and $500), so those figures are not this category's limit.
Because funding comes from a nonpoint-source grant, it runs in rounds and it runs out. The 2026 round has ended (program page, checked October 8, 2026). Auburn says the program continues in 2027, that funding availability varies from year to year, and that you can sign up for updates on availability, eligibility, and dates. Confirm your watershed now so you can apply as soon as the 2027 round opens.
Checking if your property qualifies
Rain Ready Alabama is not open statewide by address alone. Eligibility depends on whether your property sits inside one of ADEM's designated impaired watersheds that has an approved watershed management plan. The program does not publish a static list of eligible cities or zip codes. Instead, it provides an interactive eligibility map you check before applying. If your property falls outside a covered watershed, this specific program will not reimburse your project, even if the work itself qualifies under the rain garden or bioretention category.
The application steps
The process has four stages: an initial Interest Form, a full Application, the Implementation of the approved practice, and a Reimbursement Form submitted after the work is done. Pre-approval matters. Work started before your application is approved is not eligible for reimbursement, so confirm your watershed eligibility and get your application approved before hiring a contractor or breaking ground.
See the Alabama rebates page for the current application link and eligibility map.