District of Columbia Native Landscaping Rebates

Reimburses $15 per square foot for permeable pavers and $8 per square foot for replacing impervious surface with vegetation, up to a $6,000 maximum per property. Important geographic limit: the rebate is funded only for properties in Wards 7 and 8 and the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) area. No rebate funds are available for properties in the Combined Sewer System outside Wards 7 and 8. Wait for DOEE approval before starting construction (DC Department of Energy & Environment; last verified July 2026).

Grants for installing multiple stormwater management practices on a residential property. Eligible practices include shade trees ($100 each), rain barrels ($50 each), native plants replacing lawn ($1.50/sq ft), permeable pavement ($2/sq ft), cool roofs, and more. Residents can combine multiple practices to reach the maximum. Applications accepted year-round; schedule a free assessment first.

Combining RiverSmart Homes grants with the RiverSmart Rain Garden Rebate ($4.10 per square foot of roof area captured) usually gives more value than either alone. DC also offers a separate Sustainable DC incentive for solar and efficiency improvements.

Rebate of $4.10 per square foot of roof area the rain garden captures, up to $3,000 and not more than the total cost of the garden. The garden must be at least 40 sq ft and capture at least 400 sq ft of roof area, about 1 sq ft of garden for every 10 sq ft of roof. Only Chesapeake Bay watershed native plants allowed. The program administrator confirmed these figures in October 2026; the DOEE page still shows older numbers.

This rebate is administered by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay on behalf of DOEE, and reimbursement typically arrives as a check 2 to 6 weeks after post-construction approval. RiverSmart Homes grants can be combined with this rebate, for example a 100 sq ft garden when more than 1,000 sq ft of roof drains to it.

An ongoing monthly discount (not a one-time rebate): up to 55% off the DOEE Stormwater Fee plus up to 20% off the DC Water Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge for installing green infrastructure that retains runoff, including bioretention (rain gardens) and BayScaping. RiverSmart Homes participants are auto-enrolled once a practice is installed; the discount scales to the runoff retained (maximum at full retention of a 1.2-inch storm). Reapply every 3 years (DC DOEE + DC Water; last verified June 2026).