Community Backyards Program Rules

The #1 rule people forget to follow: read your voucher! All of the program rules and rebate item requirements are listed directly on your voucher. These rules are also listed below. Because this program is funded by local municipal funds, there are rules that all participants must follow in order to receive reimbursement, no exceptions, and regardless of how, where, what reimbursement you get. We reserve the right to DENY rebates if these rules are not followed to protect the integrity of our program. 

• Limit one rebate per household per year - If you attempt to get multiple rebates in one year, you will be invoiced for the overage, and you could be temporarily or permanently banned from the program. Funds are limited. If you want multiple rebates, come back next year and participate again. You can participate every year - just once per year though. For example, if you want both a rain garden rebate and a native plant rebate, you have to pick ONE this year. Then, come back and participate again the following year for another rebate. If you use your voucher twice, we will find out, and we will invoice you for the overage or ban you. 

• Residential Addresses Only - Vouchers may only be used at residential addresses (owned or rented). No P.O. boxes, commercial addresses, or other non-residential properties will be accepted. It must be a residential address that has not been used this year already. This is because vouchers are limited to one per household per year. If you are with a commercial property, business, school, non-profit, etc. please check out our new Community Beyond Backyards Grant Program - which was created for non-residential sites. 

• No Expired Vouchers - Vouchers expire due to the popularity of the program and limited funding. If vouchers didn't expire, we wouldn't be able to keep the program open from spring to fall. The expiration date is listed directly on your voucher in red. We will not accept expired vouchers. We reserve the right to deny your rebate application if your voucher is expired at the time of submittal. 

• Surrender PHYSICAL, PAPER Voucher @ Immediate Vendors - If redeeming at an immediate discount vendor, you must surrender a PHYSICAL copy of your voucher to the vendor at the time of purchase in-store, or provide a physical copy at pickup if you ordered online. We have allowed emailed vouchers in the past and during COVID, trying to reduce contact and paper usage, but we have had issues with people not turning in their vouchers but saying they emailed them when they check out, or vendors misplacing them. To fix this, beginning in 2025, we are requiring everyone to turn in a printed physical copy of your voucher when you purchase in-store or when you pickup if ordering online. Absolutely no digital, emailed, electronic forms of vouchers will be accepted. If you do not have access to a printer, you can request your voucher to be mailed when you participate, or reach out to us for assistance.

• Receipt Requirements - You must provide a PRINTED and ITEMIZED receipt from a legitimate retailer or store. No exchanges between private parties will be accepted including but not limited to: Facebook, Craigslist, OfferUp, eBay, etc. Due to State Auditor regulations, we cannot accept handwritten receipts or any receipts that are not itemized or not from a legitimate retailer. If your receipt does not follow these standards, we will deny your reimbursement. This will be strictly enforced so we can keep this program going! 
  • Sometimes, you might go to a legitimate business but receive a handwritten receipt. If that happens, you MUST request an official INVOICE from the vendor if you want reimbursement through our program. Failure to provide an official invoice from the vendor will result in a denied rebate application. One common local business where this often happens is Natives In Harmony. Make sure to get an official invoice! 
  • Any re-sale or private/person-to-person marketplace purchases or exchanges will not be accepted. Examples are Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, OfferUp, etc. 

• Purchase Date - Item MUST be purchased in the CURRENT YEAR. If you participate in 2025, you must have purchased your item in 2025 (NOT a previous year). This is a State Auditor rule we have to follow in order to prevent fraud. It is ok if you purchase the item before you participate as long as it was purchased within the current calendar year. 

• Eligibility - You must be ELIGIBLE for the rebate item are you submitting. Whatever is listed directly on your voucher is exactly what you are eligible for. If it is not listed on your voucher, you are not eligible for it. Eligibility for rebates will vary based on your tax district and can change from year to year if you are a repeat participant. We have no control over what or how much rebate funding is available for each community - the municipality makes the final decision based on their available funding, and we then run the program. If you are not eligible for something and you submit it for reimbursement, we will NOT reimburse you for it because you are not eligible. No exceptions. 

• Rebate Item Requirements - If you are eligible for the rebate item, the item MUST FOLLOW THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT ITEM! 
  • Rain Barrels - Must have a FULLY CLOSED LID, A DIVERTER HOSE that is INSTALLED PROPERLY, SECURELY CONNECTED TO THE BARREL AND DOWNSPOUT and is LEVEL/STRAIGHT! We will NOT reimburse any direct downspouts or open tops. We will NOT reimburse any diverters that are not straight/level. This is to prevent overflow up against your home's foundation and mosquito breeding. We HIGHLY suggest the RainStation model by the EarthMinded aka EarthMark brand, but you MUST install the diverter level/straight as well. 
  • Native Plants - Must be planted in the ground (NO POTS!). No seeds, annuals, herbs, aquatics, vegetables or invasives (including any and all cultivars of an invasive species) will be reimbursed. Must be LIVE plants or bare roots - no seeds. Must include photos of plant tags or plant names in the comments of your rebate submission. Please choose NATIVE PLANTS for our native wildlife and pollinator before choosing non-native plants. 
  • Compost Bins - Must be rodent-proof (aka totally enclosed on all sides and top) per Public Health's recommendations to prevent rodent activity. Tumblers and worm bins are already rodent proof by design. Some on-the-ground compost bins are not rodent proof if they do not come with a bottom. If they do not have a bottom, you MUST add rodent proofing to the bottom in order to receive reimbursement. You can use hardware mesh or patio pavers to create a rodent proof bottom barrier, and you must also submit photo proof that the rodent proofing has been completed. Homemade compost bins or piles, bokashi bins, kitchen bins, or home composting services such as Compost Exchange are NOT ELIGIBLE for reimbursement.

• Columbus GreenSpot - All program participants will be invited to become a Columbus GreenSpot member via email. It is a FREE local program with resources and toolkits on how to go green at home - from reducing your water usage to improving your home's energy efficiency. You are free to decline if you wish, but you will miss out on great resources. 

Following these rules will speed up your reimbursement process and keep things moving as fast as possible. It saves you AND our tiny but mighty team time while protecting the integrity of our program! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can I get a rebate?

Franklin County, Ohio residents can get one rebate per address/household per year. To qualify, you must participate in the course either online or in-person. After participating, you will receive a voucher that will state what you are eligible for and instructions on how to redeem your rebate.

How does it work?

Franklin County, Ohio residents can learn about "backyard conservation" and get incentive to implement a backyard conservation practice. Here is how the program works.

1. Participate - You have to participate in the education portion first. You can take an online course or attend a local, in-person class. You have have to do one - you do not have to do both. After you participate, you will receive a voucher.  
2. Pick a Rebate - Decide what rebate you want to get this year. You can only get one rebate per year, so choose wisely! However, you can participate every single year. 
3. Redeem Your Rebate - Redeem your rebate one of two ways. PICK ONLY ONE:
   1. Immediate Discount Rebate at a Participating Vendor - Take your voucher to one of our local participating vendors to receive an immediate discount on your purchase like a coupon. Then, you're done! The vendor will submit your rebate information to us for you, so there is no further obligation on your part. Please note, immediate discount rebates are NOT available for rain garden rebates. 
   2. Submit for Reimbursement at Franklin Soil & Water - Purchase at a legitimate store and submit a rebate application to Franklin Soil and Water to receive a reimbursement check via mail. Before you purchase, make sure the item meets the rebate requirements! We reserve the right to deny if you do not follow rebate requirements.

 

Why are rebates different across the county? 

Each individual community vountarily provides funding for rebates for their residents. The municipality has the final say on whether they participate, what rebates they want to provide, and how many rebates are available each year. Because of this, rebates can vary from year to year and community to community. Your rebate eligibility is based on your home's tax district which can be different from your mailing address or school district. Your available rebate options and amounts will be listed directly on your voucher. 
 

What rebates can I get?

Where you live determines what you are eligible for. Local municipalities provides funding for rebates for their residents, and the municipality has final say in how much rebate funding is available and what rebates they want or can offer with their available funding. Funding is limited and subject to availability. Refer to the Rebates page to see what rebates are available in each community. It will be listed directly on your voucher. You can only get ONE REBATE PER HOUSEHOLD PER YEAR. But you are welcome to participate once every year in our annual program. 

Can I get more than one rebate? 

In the same calendar year, NO. Rebates are limited to one per household per year due to limited funding. You can only get one rebate in one category per year. For example, you could get ONE native plant rebate this year, but you could NOT get a second rebate on a compost bin in the same year. However, you CAN participate once each year. If you want more rebates, please come back next year and participate again. 

Can I submit a rebate that was purchased last year or before I participated this year? 

We cannot reimburse any items that were purchased in a previous calendar year. Your rebate item has to be purchased in the current calendar year. However, it is OK if it was purchased before you participated in the program as long as it was purchased in the current calendar year.

Where can I purchase rebate items? 

You can get your rebate one of two ways. PICK ONE:

1. Immediate Discount Rebate at a Participating Vendor - Take your voucher to one of our local participating vendors to receive an immediate discount on your purchase like a coupon. Then, you're done! The vendor will submit your rebate information to us for you, so there is no further obligation on your part. Please note, immediate discount rebates are NOT available for rain garden rebates. 
2. Submit for Reimbursement at Franklin Soil & Water - Purchase at a legitimate store and submit a rebate application to Franklin Soil and Water to receive a reimbursement check via mail. Before you purchase, make sure the item meets the rebate requirements! We reserve the right to deny if you do not follow rebate requirements. 

How do I know if a plant is native or eligible for reimbursement? 

Short Answer: Plant purchases will be approved as long as it is a perennial plant that is planted directly in the ground --and-- is NOT an annual, vegetable, herb, aquatic, or seed purchase, and most importantly, it is NOT listed on our Invasive, Do-Not-Plant List. Native plants are strongly encouraged and preferred. 

Long Answer: It can be hard to determine if plants are native especially cultivars and trademarked plants. We strongly prefer and encourage native plants for their deep roots and ecological benefits, but we know it can be hard to find native plants in traditional garden centers. Therefore, we created a short, not comprehensive list of native plants we have found in traditional garden centers in Central Ohio called our Native, YES List. We encourage you to review this list and use our Native Plant Resources to find natives that will work for your yard. If you have trouble finding natives, ask the nursery staff. Please note, we will not reimburse any plants planted in pots or containers. 

Can I get reimbursed for a potted plant? 

NO. We will not reimburse any plants planted in a pot or a container. This is because containers restrict root growth, and the plants can't capture as much stormwater runoff when root growth is restricted. The purpose of this program is to capture and reduce stormwater runoff. Therefore, we will not reimburse potted plants.

Is a handwritten receipt okay? 

NO. We cannot accept any handwritten receipts. As a government agency, we must follow all State of Ohio Auditor rules to protect the integrity of this program. Handwritten receipts are not acceptable to the State Auditor for fraud prevention. Therefore, we cannot accept handwritten receipts. Any rebate applications with handwritten receipts will be denied.