How to Get the Residential Stormwater Credit (Rain Garden) Rebate
City of La Crosse Stormwater Utility · Western Wisconsin (Mississippi River), WI
What you get
The City of La Crosse credits a fixed share of the residential stormwater fee for a qualifying rain garden: 80% for 185 cubic feet or greater, 60% for 139 to 184 cubic feet, and 40% for 92 to 138 cubic feet. Residential properties are billed a flat 1 Equivalent Runoff Unit per quarter at $36.18 effective January 1, 2026, so the maximum credit is worth roughly $116 a year. Single-family, twindo, duplex, and triplex properties of three or fewer units are eligible (City of La Crosse Stormwater Fees page and its Residential Credit Application Policy; last verified July 2026).
- Residential: Up to 80% off the stormwater fee (80% for a rain garden of 185+ cubic feet, 60% for 139 to 184, 40% for 92 to 138)
Are you eligible?
- Be a City of La Crosse Stormwater Utility customer
- Property located in: La Crosse
- Single-family, twindo, duplex, or triplex property in La Crosse with three or fewer units
- Rain garden of at least 92 cubic feet (185+ cubic feet for the 80% tier)
- Air photo of the parcel marked with roof flow lines, garden location, and dimensions
- Photos showing the practice installed and operational
- Annual Certification filed by April 1 each year
Before you start
This is an ongoing bill credit, not a one-time cash rebate. Reverses a prior sweep's reading of this program as a percentage-of-fee formula credit: the residential fee is flat (1 ERU per property, not impervious-area computed) and the credit is a fixed published step table keyed to rain garden volume, so it clears the fixed-and-published bar. Found during the 2026-07-31 discovery sweep.
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
Do the conversion
Replace your lawn with the qualifying landscaping, following the eligibility requirements above.
- 2
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 Residential Stormwater Credit (Rain Garden)
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 City of La Crosse Stormwater Utility before you start.
- 2
Get pre-approval if required
Some programs require approval before any work begins. Check with City of La Crosse Stormwater Utility 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 City of La Crosse Stormwater Utility 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 Residential Stormwater Credit (Rain Garden), 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.