Michigan Rebates
Michigan Native Landscaping Rebates
Michigan's strongest cash program is Oakland County's RainSmart Rebates pilot ($2,000 max) for the George W. Kuhn Drainage District. For the rest of Southeast Michigan and West Michigan, the Clinton River Watershed Council and WMEAC provide free technical assistance and connect homeowners with available cost-share programs.
Last updated: July 2026 · 4 programs tracked
The quick version
- Oakland County RainSmart: up to $2,000 for rain gardens, rain barrels, and tree plantings in the George W. Kuhn Drainage District.
- Clinton River Watershed Council (crwc.org) provides free rain garden design assessments for Oakland, Macomb, and Lapeer counties, even outside the RainSmart boundary.
- West Michigan (Grand Rapids): WMEAC provides free rain garden consultations and workshops. Contact Environmental Services for cost-share availability.
See the vision
From turf to a native front yard.
An illustrative Patch Vision rendering of a turf-to-native front yard. In the app, every plan is generated from a photo of your own yard, for your sun, soil, and HOA strictness.
How to apply for Michigan rebates
- 1.Apply for pre-approval before you start. Starting work first is the most common reason applications get denied.
- 2.Take before photos of the area you plan to convert, then matching after photos from the same angles once the work is done.
- 3.Apply early in the fiscal year. Many programs are first-come, first-served. Each program below links to the provider for current rules. See our step-by-step lawn replacement guide.
Detroit Metro
1 program available
RainSmart Rebates
Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner
Rebates for rain gardens (native plant depressions that absorb stormwater), rain barrels (30–100 gal), and tree plantings (up to 2 trees, 5 ft or taller). First-come, first-served pilot with $100,000/year.
Pilot program launched 2024. Limited to specific drainage district communities. Not accepting new applications for 2026: "Due to overwhelming interest in RainSmart Rebates, the program is not accepting any additional applications for 2026" (oakgov.com, confirmed via Chrome MCP 2026-07-15). Amount unchanged ($6/sq ft rain garden, $2,000 cap); recheck for a 2027 reopening.
Rebate Concierge
Free step-by-step help with every rebate above
Every program above comes with a free guided checklist in the Pollinator Patch app: the steps in order, warnings before the mistakes that disqualify applications, and a photo locker that keeps your before and after photos and receipts together. A few high-value programs also offer an optional ready-to-file application packet for a one-time $29.99.
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Rebates in other states
Get started
Plan a native yard with Pollinator Patch.
Pollinator Patch helps you pick the right native plants for your region, plan an HOA-friendly layout, and generate the documentation that rebate programs ask for.