How to Get the Landscaping for Clean Water Rebate
Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District · Dakota County / south Twin Cities metro, MN
What you get
A $400 cost-share grant for installing a rain garden or native/pollinator planting, available after completing the Landscaping for Clean Water design course. Funded by Dakota County watershed organizations and open to the Lower Mississippi River WMO area of Ramsey County as well. Requires the design course and pre-approval before planting (Dakota County SWCD; last verified June 2026).
- Residential: $400 cost-share grant (after the design course)
Are you eligible?
- Be a Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District customer
- Property located in: Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Lakeville, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights
- Resident of Dakota County (or the Lower Mississippi River WMO area of Ramsey County)
- Complete the Landscaping for Clean Water design course first (small course fee)
- Install a rain garden or native/pollinator planting
- Apply for the grant and get approval before installing
Before you start
Do not remove turf or begin work before you have written approval. This program requires pre-approval. Starting early can disqualify the project even if everything else is correct.
Confirmed $400 (the carry-forward lead said $250). Requires completing the paid design course first. Confirmed via browser.
What applying usually looks like
A general guide. Always confirm the exact steps on the official program page, since each provider runs its process a little differently.
- 1
Apply and get written approval first
Submit your application to Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District and wait for written approval before you remove any turf or start work. Starting early is the most common reason a rebate is denied.
- 2
Do the conversion
Replace your lawn with the qualifying landscaping, following the eligibility requirements above.
- 3
Submit your claim
After the work is done, submit your claim on the official program page. Confirm the exact forms, receipts, and any photos they require there, since those vary by program.
The application checklist
How to apply for the Landscaping for Clean Water
These are the steps this application actually takes. The Pollinator Patch app walks you through each one free, with reminders and a photo locker.
- 1
Check eligibility
Make sure you qualify with Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District before you start.
- 2
Get pre-approval if required
Some programs require approval before any work begins. Check with Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District and take before photos of the existing yard first.
- 3
Do the work
Complete the project, take before and after photos, and save every receipt.
- 4
Submit your application
Send Dakota County Soil & Water Conservation District the completed application with your photos and receipts, then watch for the confirmation.
In the app
Track this rebate free in the Pollinator Patch app
Free step-by-step guidance for the Landscaping for Clean Water, warnings before the mistakes that disqualify applications, and a photo locker that keeps your before and after photos, receipts, and notes together for the months a rebate takes.
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.
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.