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New Jersey Rebates

New Jersey Native Landscaping Rebates

New Jersey rebate programs are concentrated in specific watersheds and counties rather than statewide. South Jersey Landscape Makeover covers Pinelands and Atlantic Coastal Plain communities. Raritan Headwaters Association covers North and Central NJ. County Soil Conservation Districts run additional programs across all 21 counties.

Last updated: August 2026 ยท 7 programs tracked

The quick version

  • South Jersey Landscape Makeover: up to $675 for rain gardens with native plants; free Rutgers design consultation included.
  • Raritan Headwaters Association: up to 50% cost-share for rain gardens in Somerset, Hunterdon, Morris, and Mercer counties.
  • NJ Audubon: free native plant consultations and habitat assessments statewide. No cash rebate, but expert guidance.

Is the New Jersey turf rebate still active in 2026?

Yes. 7 of 7 tracked New Jersey turf-replacement rebate programs are currently active, with payouts up to $675. Details below were last verified August 2026. Confirm the current amount and deadline with each provider before you apply, since program funding can change mid-year.

ProgramMax rebateStatusVerified
Lake Hopatcong Watershed Rain Garden RebateLake Hopatcong Commission$3 per square foot, up to $450 per lotActiveJun 2026
Less Lawn, More Native Plants RebateCity of Lambertville$5/sq ft, up to $700 per propertyActiveAug 2026
Stormwater Fee Credit for Lawn to Native Forest ConversionTownship of MaplewoodOngoing bill credit: 10% off the stormwater fee for every 2,000 sq ft of lawn converted to native forest, up to 40% (about $28 a year at the $70 per unit base rate)ActiveAug 2026
Budd Lake Rain Garden RebateMount Olive Township / NJ Highlands CoalitionUp to $675ActiveJun 2026
South Jersey Landscape MakeoverPinelands Preservation Alliance & Partners$4/sq ft, up to $675ActiveJul 2026
Rain Garden RebateNorth Jersey Resource Conservation & DevelopmentUp to $500 (materials)ActiveJun 2026
Raritan Headwaters Rain Garden Cost-ShareRaritan Headwaters AssociationUp to $450ActiveJun 2026

See the vision

From turf to a native front yard.

A typical turf-grass front yard before conversion
Before
A Garden Planner rendering of the same front yard replanted with native plants
After

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 New Jersey rebates

  1. 1.Apply for pre-approval before you start. Starting work first is the most common reason applications get denied.
  2. 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. 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.

South Jersey / Pinelands

1 program available

South Jersey Landscape Makeover

Pinelands Preservation Alliance & Partners

Native plantingRain garden
$4/sq ft, up to $675

Rebate for installing a rain garden with native, wet-tolerant plants. Attend Rain Garden 101 webinar, receive free 30-minute design session with Rutgers engineers, then install. Rain gardens filter stormwater and attract pollinators.

Evesham, Pemberton, Lumberton, Mt. Holly, Mt. Laurel, Gibbsboro, Berlin, Millville, Vineland, Swedesboro, Woolwich, Mullica Hill, Carneys Point, Morristown, Hanover, Mt. Olive, Stanhope, Hopatcong, Netcong, Roxbury, Egg Harbor City, Hammonton, WinslowPre-approval required

Eligibility varies by town; some areas limited to lakeside properties. Funded by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and William Penn Foundation.

North / Central NJ

1 program available

Raritan Headwaters Rain Garden Cost-Share

Raritan Headwaters Association

Rain garden
Up to $450

Raritan Headwaters Association offers cost-share for rain gardens, rain barrels, and native plantings for properties in the Raritan River headwaters watershed (Somerset, Hunterdon, Morris, and parts of Mercer counties). The program pairs cost-share funding with free technical assistance from RHA staff to design and install water-quality practices.

Bedminster, Bernardsville, Branchburg, Far Hills, Flemington, Frenchtown, High Bridge, Lebanon, Long Valley, Mendham, Peapack, Raritan, Readington, Skillman, TewksburyPre-approval required

Rutgers/NJWSA program for Bridgewater/Raritan/Somerville (flat $450, not 50%).

Lake Hopatcong watershed (Morris & Sussex counties)

1 program available

Lake Hopatcong Watershed Rain Garden Rebate

Lake Hopatcong Commission

Native plantingRain garden
$3 per square foot, up to $450 per lot

Rebate of $3 per square foot of garden, up to $450 per lot, for homeowners who install a Rutgers-designed rain garden or shoreline buffer. Open to residents of Jefferson, Hopatcong, Mount Arlington, and Roxbury who live in the Lake Hopatcong watershed. Requires attendance at a rain garden workshop and a free Rutgers design session before installation (Lake Hopatcong Commission with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program; last verified June 2026).

Jefferson, Hopatcong, Mount Arlington, RoxburyPre-approval required

Per-square-foot rate corroborated by Morris County (page 403s the fetcher); the $450 cap is stated on the official commission page.

Hunterdon County / Delaware River

1 program available

Less Lawn, More Native Plants Rebate

City of Lambertville

Turf replacementNative plantingTrees
$5/sq ft, up to $700 per property

$5.00 per square foot of lawn replaced with a native plant garden (rain garden, pollinator garden, meadow, or hedgerow), plus $100 per qualifying native tree (2-inch caliper or greater); maximum rebate is $700 per property. Eligibility expanded beyond Lambertville to include West Amwell, East Amwell, Stockton, Delaware Township, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, and Pennington (confirmed by Mary Anne Borge, Rebate Program Manager, August 2026). Applications accepted through October 1, 2026 or until funding is depleted (funding still available as of August 2026; City of Lambertville, funded by a Sustainable Jersey / PSEG Foundation grant).

Lambertville, West Amwell, East Amwell, Stockton, Delaware Township, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, PenningtonThrough October 1, 2026 (or until funds depleted)

Launched August 2025; funded by a Sustainable Jersey / PSEG Foundation grant.

Morris County / NJ Highlands (Budd Lake)

1 program available

Budd Lake Rain Garden Rebate

Mount Olive Township / NJ Highlands Coalition

Native plantingRain garden
Up to $675

Provides up to $675 in rebates for Budd Lake residents who install a rain garden of native plants to reduce stormwater runoff and support pollinators. Requires watching the Rain Garden 101 session, then contacting the NJ Highlands Coalition to redeem (Mount Olive Township with the NJ Highlands Coalition, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and partners; last verified June 2026).

Mount Olive, Budd LakePre-approval required

Launched 2024 with the NJ Highlands Coalition. Limited to Budd Lake residents.

Neshanic River / Back Brook watersheds (Somerset & Hunterdon)

1 program available

Rain Garden Rebate

North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development

Native plantingRain garden
Up to $500 (materials)

Reimburses up to $500 toward the materials and supplies for building a rain garden, with Rutgers Cooperative Extension design support. Limited to residents of the Neshanic River or Back Brook watersheds (North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development; last verified June 2026).

Hillsborough, Branchburg, Readington, RaritanPre-approval required

Essex County, Rahway River watershed

1 program available

Stormwater Fee Credit for Lawn to Native Forest Conversion

Township of Maplewood

Turf replacementNative plantingTrees
Ongoing bill credit10% off the stormwater fee for every 2,000 sq ft of lawn converted to native forest, up to 40% (about $28 a year at the $70 per unit base rate)

Maplewood credits a residential stormwater bill by 10% for every 2,000 square feet of lawn removed and converted to natural forested area, up to 40%, within an overall 50% residential credit ceiling. The conversion must be planted with native trees of at least 2.0 to 2.5 inch caliper on 30 to 50 foot centers, with a detailed plan submitted to the Township Certified Tree Expert, and mulch is not permitted as forest floor material. This is an ongoing reduction of the annual stormwater fee, not a one-time cash rebate: the Base Rate is $70 per Equivalent Residential Unit per year, so the 40% maximum is worth roughly $28 a year on a typical single-family property (Township of Maplewood Stormwater Management Fee Credit & Adjustment Policy Manual and Ordinance 3138-24; last verified August 2026).

MaplewoodApplications reviewed on a rolling basis within 60 days. Approved credits apply to the account in the following year and do not expire while the owner stays compliant.

This is an ongoing bill credit, not a cash rebate. It is the one Maplewood credit type with a fixed published rate per area converted; the township other credits (rain garden, rooftop vegetation, filter strips, innovation) are all percentage-of-impervious-area-treated formulas and are out of scope. Annual value clears the roughly $20 a year triviality floor, in line with the accepted Franklin MA and Appleton WI credits.

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

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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See a problem with a program? Report it

Programs change throughout the year. If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we'll check it against the provider.

Every program listed cites its official source, and each program page shows the date we last verified it against that source. Program details change throughout the year, so always confirm requirements, amounts, and eligibility directly with the program before starting work. Pollinator Patch is not affiliated with any rebate program and does not guarantee approval.