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: August 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 Garden Planner rendering of a turf-to-native front yard, generated by an AI image model. 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.
Washtenaw County (Southeast Michigan)
1 program available
Rain Garden Stormwater Utility Credit
City of Ann Arbor
An ongoing quarterly credit on the stormwater utility bill (not a one-time rebate): a savings of $8.34 per quarter for installing a rain garden of deep-rooted native vegetation that captures roof/impervious runoff, where about half of the property roof area drains to the garden. Apply by emailing storm@a2gov.org with the address and photos (City of Ann Arbor; last verified June 2026).
Small recurring bill credit ($8.34/quarter), not a one-time rebate. Resolves the long-standing "Ann Arbor" flag: it IS a residential rain-garden credit.
Roscommon County, Michigan (Higgins Lake)
1 program available
Shoreline Greenbelt Program
Higgins Lake Foundation
A 50/50 cost match, up to $1,500 per site, for Higgins Lake riparian property owners installing a shoreline greenbelt of natural vegetation. The Foundation separately offers a $2,000 match for seawall removal; that figure is a distinct, non-landscaping line item and is not part of this rebate. Confirm the plant-species requirement directly with the Foundation before applying, as the program page does not restate a native-only rule as explicitly as comparable Michigan lake-association programs (Higgins Lake Foundation; last verified July 2026).
Distinct from the Foundation's separate $2,000 seawall-removal match, which is not a landscaping rebate.
Want this application prepared for you?$29.99Northern Michigan (Cheboygan / Emmet counties)
1 program available
Burt Lake Watershed Greenbelt Cost Share Project
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Reimburses riparian property owners on Burt Lake, Douglas Lake, Crooked Lake, or Pickerel Lake for 50% of the cost to install a native-plant shoreline greenbelt, up to a maximum of $2,000. Funded through an EGLE Nonpoint Source Program grant; confirmed to have run in both 2024 and 2025. Confirm the current-year application window with the Watershed Council before applying, as the posted deadlines were last updated for the 2025 cycle (Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council; last verified July 2026).
Grant-cycle program; posted deadlines were last dated for 2025 (application by Apr 30, install by Aug 31). Confirm the 2026 cycle window directly with the Watershed Council before publishing dates to a user.
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.
Explore more
- How to replace your lawn with native plants (step by step)
- HOA 101: what boards actually care about
- Oakland County native plants and shoreline landscaping guide
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.
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