How to Get the Cost Share Grant Program
Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department · Oneida County (Rhinelander area, north-central Wisconsin), WI
What you get
Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department reimburses homeowners up to $10,000 or 50% of total project cost, whichever is less, for non-engineered conservation practices including rain gardens and native plantings (engineered practices are also eligible at a higher deposit tier). A refundable deposit is required before design work: $500 for non-engineered practices, $1,000 for engineered practices. The practice must remain in place for 10 years (Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department; last verified July 2026).
- Residential: Up to $10,000 or 50% of project cost, whichever is less
Are you eligible?
- Be a Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department customer
- Property located in: Rhinelander
- Oneida County, WI residential property
- Refundable deposit before design work: $500 (rain garden/native planting) or $1,000 (engineered practice)
- Practice must remain in place for 10 years
- Site visit and application required; approved via the county Conservation and UW-Extension Education Committee
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.
The application checklist
How to apply for the Cost Share Grant Program
These are the steps this application actually takes.
- 1
Know which year you are applying for
Oneida County allocates a season at a time and the 2026 installation projects are already chosen. Applications open now are for a 2027 install. The county asks you to contact them to schedule a site v
- 2
Write the problem up as a water-quality problem
The committee approves or denies every project on its contribution to protecting water quality, and the county publishes the Project Ranking Form it uses to prioritise when funding runs short. Read th
- 3
Send the application, then pay the refundable deposit
Post the completed form to Oneida County LWCD, Attention Cost Share Program, Courthouse, PO Box 400, Rhinelander WI 54501; email it to msadauskas@oneidacountywi.gov; or drop it at the second-floor off
- 4
The county designs the practice, not you
Construction plans are drawn specifically for each landowner by the county conservationist, the cost share technician, the shoreline specialist and a DATCP engineer, to state and county specifications
- 5
Pay the contractor, then claim the reimbursement
This is a reimbursement program: you pay all construction costs and provide the paid invoices to the department afterwards. Reimbursement is 50 percent of the total or the year cap, whichever is less.
- 6
Maintain it for ten years
The contract commits you to keeping the practice in place and maintained for ten years, and the department carries out follow-up site visits as staffing allows. For a native planting or rain garden th
The call below also unlocks the ready-to-file packet for this program in the app.
Get help applying
Want a hand with the application?
A 30-minute call with Stephen, the founder. He reads the Cost Share Grant Program rules with you, tells you what to photograph and file first, and answers anything this page does not cover.
Confirm your project ZIP first. If this program does not serve your address, do not buy; check your city or utility on the rebates page instead.
One-time $29.99. Guidance, not filing: you submit to the program yourself. Not legal or financial advice. Rebate amounts and approval are decided by the program.
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.
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