Indiana Native Landscaping Rebates

Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District administers conservation cost-share programs including native plantings, stormwater management, and backyard habitat improvements. The District does not publish a fixed residential rate, and funding availability varies year to year, so contact the District for current options. Fort Wayne residents inside city limits should also see the separate Fort Wayne City Utilities Rain Garden Incentive Program, which pays $2.00 per square foot up to $250 (Allen County SWCD; last verified July 2026).

The Indiana Native Plant Society (indiananativeplants.org) holds regional plant sales and events. You can find your county's Soil and Water Conservation District at swcd.in.gov.

Cash incentive of $2.00 per square foot of rain garden installed, up to a maximum of $250 per property. Limited to residential property owners inside Fort Wayne city limits; one incentive per property, and the owner must file a W-9 with City Utilities (Fort Wayne City Utilities; last verified June 2026).

This rebate is part of Fort Wayne City Utilities' City of 1,000 Rain Gardens initiative.

The Greater Elkhart County Stormwater Partnership, administered by the Elkhart County SWCD, reimburses homeowners up to $250 for rain garden plants (native vegetation) installed to capture stormwater runoff; a separate $50 reimbursement is available for rain barrels. Open to residents of Elkhart, Goshen, Bristol, and unincorporated Elkhart County. Funds are limited and awarded first-come, first-served (Elkhart County SWCD; last verified July 2026).

The City of Fishers reimburses up to 50% of eligible drainage-improvement project costs, including rain garden and native plant installs (also drain tile, sump pump re-routes, swale re-grading, bank stabilization, pond dredging, and floodplain management). Applicants must get grant approval before starting, pay upfront, and submit for reimbursement with 3 contractor quotes (or owner labor valued at $15/hr if self-performed) via the city’s Viewpoint Cloud portal. Open year-round to individual homeowners, not HOA-exclusive (City of Fishers; last verified July 2026).

A flat 25% credit on the monthly stormwater user fee for single-family homeowners (and multifamily of 3 units or less) who install an approved rain garden, or another approved residential BMP (on-site storage or vegetated filter strip). For a rain garden, at least 50% of the property roof/impervious area must drain to it and it must be registered with the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability. Three-year renewable term; the credit cannot exceed 25% even if BMPs are combined. This is an ongoing bill credit, not a one-time cash rebate (City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works; last verified June 2026).

The 2026 rate is $1.65 per BBU.

The Wabash River Enhancement Corporation's Urban Cost-Share Program pays up to 75% of total project cost for nature-based water-quality practices that reduce stormwater runoff in Tippecanoe County, including rain gardens, native plantings, and turf-to-prairie conversion, within WREC's target watersheds; native plants added to an already-mulched bed do not qualify on their own. A WREC site visit is required before work begins. Reimbursement-based: the homeowner pays upfront, WREC submits paperwork to the state for approval, and payment follows, sometimes a few months later. Funding is a federal EPA grant pending congressional budget approval; WREC expects to open its next funding cycle after the new year if the budget passes (wabashriver.net Cost-Share Program; confirmed directly with WREC, September 2026).

The 2026 Urban Cost-Share cycle is closed, but WREC is taking 2027 waitlist signups on the same page.

The Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District reimburses 75 percent of total project cost, up to $3,000, for water-quality projects on residential property. Rain gardens are a named eligible project, alongside gully erosion repair, culvert washouts, minor stream stabilization, drainage flooding, water catchment and invasive species control; all projects must improve or impact soil health and water quality. Check the boundary before applying: funding is available only to Monroe County residents living OUTSIDE the City of Bloomington and the Town of Ellettsville, and Bloomington ZIP codes extend past the city limits into the unincorporated county. A landowner may apply only once every three years, so the $3,000 is a three-year ceiling rather than an annual one. A site visit, board approval, a signed agreement and a W-9 come before any work, and reimbursement is paid in arrears after staff check-out. Applications are accepted year-round and funds are limited annually (Monroe County SWCD, Stormwater Partnership; last verified August 2026).