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.
| Program | Max rebate | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Hopatcong Watershed Rain Garden RebateLake Hopatcong Commission | $3 per square foot, up to $450 per lot | Active | Jun 2026 |
| Less Lawn, More Native Plants RebateCity of Lambertville | $5/sq ft, up to $700 per property | Active | Aug 2026 |
| Stormwater Fee Credit for Lawn to Native Forest ConversionTownship of Maplewood | Ongoing 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) | Active | Aug 2026 |
| Budd Lake Rain Garden RebateMount Olive Township / NJ Highlands Coalition | Up to $675 | Active | Jun 2026 |
| South Jersey Landscape MakeoverPinelands Preservation Alliance & Partners | $4/sq ft, up to $675 | Active | Jul 2026 |
| Rain Garden RebateNorth Jersey Resource Conservation & Development | Up to $500 (materials) | Active | Jun 2026 |
| Raritan Headwaters Rain Garden Cost-ShareRaritan Headwaters Association | Up to $450 | Active | Jun 2026 |
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 New Jersey 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.
South Jersey / Pinelands
1 program available
South Jersey Landscape Makeover
Pinelands Preservation Alliance & Partners
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.
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
Lake Hopatcong watershed (Morris & Sussex counties)
1 program available
Lake Hopatcong Watershed Rain Garden Rebate
Lake Hopatcong Commission
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).
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
$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).
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
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).
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
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).
Essex County, Rahway River watershed
1 program available
Stormwater Fee Credit for Lawn to Native Forest Conversion
Township of Maplewood
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).
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.
Download Free
Free on iPhone, Android, and on the web. Upgrade to Pro for more Garden Planner previews, yard-specific plans, and Ask Patch personalized to your garden.
Available on iPhone, Android, and in any browser.