How to Get the Stormwater Utility Fee Credit (Dry Well BMPs) Rebate
City of Newton, Department of Public Works · Greater Boston, Massachusetts, MA
What you get
An ongoing bill credit against Newton's flat $200/year residential stormwater fee, not a one-time cash rebate. A single-family house with all roof leaders connected underground to a 500-gallon dry well sized for a 100-year storm (7 inches of rain over 24 hours) qualifies for a 50% fee deduction; a second 500-gallon dry well collecting driveway runoff, sized the same way, qualifies for an additional 25% reduction, combinable up to 75% total (City of Newton; last verified July 2026).
- Residential: Up to 75% off the $200/year flat residential stormwater fee (50% roof dry well + 25% driveway dry well)
Are you eligible?
- Be a City of Newton, Department of Public Works customer
- Property located in: Newton
- Single-family house in Newton
- Roof-leader dry well: 500-gallon capacity sized for a 100-year storm, for the 50% credit
- Driveway dry well: separate 500-gallon capacity fed by a catch basin, same sizing, for the additional 25% credit
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.
Ongoing bill credit, not a cash rebate. The 50%/25% figures match this directory's prior carry-forward note and are corroborated by a search-engine index of the official page; the underlying guidelines PDF could not be independently byte-extracted despite multiple attempts, so treat as high-confidence rather than a fresh direct-page read.
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 City of Newton, Department of Public Works 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.
In the app
Track this rebate free in the Pollinator Patch app
Free step-by-step guidance for the Stormwater Utility Fee Credit (Dry Well BMPs), 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.