How to Get the RainSmart Residential Rainwater Collection Incentives Program
Orange County Public Works and Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) · South Orange County, California, CA
What you get
The OC Stormwater Program pays $0.75 per square foot of impermeable surface treated, up to $1,500, for rain gardens and rain containers, and the program page notes that an average home treats 1,200 square feet and receives $900. New gutters are reimbursed at $5 per linear foot up to $300, and that gutter money sits inside the same $1,500 total rather than on top of it. Eligibility is by water agency rather than by city, so check which agency bills you before applying. This is a pilot: participation is limited and operates first-come, first-served (h2oc.org RainSmart Residential Rainwater Collection Incentives Program; last verified August 2026).
- Residential: $0.75 per sq ft of impermeable surface treated, up to $1,500
Are you eligible?
- Be a Orange County Public Works and Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) customer
- Property located in: San Clemente, Laguna Beach, Trabuco Canyon
- Receive water from one of these seven agencies: El Toro Water District, Laguna Beach County Water District, Moulton Niguel Water District, Santa Margarita Water District, City of San Clemente, South Coast Water District, or Trabuco Canyon Water District
- Be the property owner, or have explicit consent from the property owner to do the project (the program does not require the applicant to be the owner)
- Rain gardens and rain containers share one combined rate and one combined cap, not separate line items
- Participation is limited and first-come, first-served; claim a spot through the program page before starting work
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.
Found during the 2026-08-17 discovery sweep, from a lead handed to us directly by MWDOC (turfremoval@mwdoc.com) in an outreach reply on 2026-08-13. Independently re-verified against the live h2oc.org page. Three deliberate choices in the copy above. (1) The cities array is NOT exhaustive and must not be treated as the eligibility test: the program publishes its eligibility as a list of seven water agencies, whose combined service areas cover more Orange County cities than the three named here, so the full agency list is carried in requirements where a homeowner can match it against their own water bill. (2) The page says the applicant must "be the property owner or have explicit consent from the property owner", which is broader than homeowner-only, so the copy says so rather than implying an ownership requirement. (3) Rain gardens are a genuine eligible practice here, confirmed verbatim, which is why this is in scope; the companion Large Landscape Upgrade Program is a separate 10,000 sq ft minimum program captured on the commercial track instead.
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 Orange County Public Works and Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) 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 RainSmart Residential Rainwater Collection Incentives Program
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 Orange County Public Works and Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) before you start.
- 2
Get pre-approval if required
Some programs require approval before any work begins. Check with Orange County Public Works and Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) 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 Orange County Public Works and Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) 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 RainSmart Residential Rainwater Collection Incentives Program, 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.