Rain Garden Rebates

Rain garden rebates are available for residents in certain participating communities in Franklin County and require extra steps than a regular Community Backyards rebate! If you get a rain garden rebate, you have used your one and only Community Backyards rebate for the year, and you cannot get anything else within the same year. They are extremely limited quantity, first come, first served, and vary by community. 

Eligibility for rain garden rebates requires that the property be located within a participating community, and the rain garden must be installed during the current year of participation. For 2023, participating communities include: Cities of Columbus, Gahanna, Grove City, Hilliard, New Albany, Obetz, Reynoldsburg, and Westerville, and Franklin County Townships (Blendon, Brown, Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Mifflin, Norwich, Perry, Plain, Pleasant, Prairie, Sharon, Truro, and Washington). If you do not live in one of these participating communities, you are not eligible at this time. 

Interested and eligible? Here is how it works. First, you will participate in Community Backyards via the online course or a local workshop. Then, you fill out a rain garden application to be considered. After you apply and take the course, Franklin Soil and Water will work with you to ensure your location is suitable for a rain garden and help you design it. This can be done virtually or on site. Please note, not every location is suitable for a rain garden. We reserve the right to deny applications if the site is determined to not be suitable for a rain garden! After it has been determined your property is suitable for a rain garden, you can install it and submit receipts after install to receive a reimbursement check. Items eligible for a rain garden rebate include: plants, mulch, compost, and drainage hardware for a rain garden. This is reimbursement only. Reimbursement will NOT be dispersed until AFTER the install has been completed. 

Rain garden questions? Please contact Franklin Soil and Water's Conservation Implementation Specialist and Rain Garden Expert, Madison, at MWisniewski@franklinswcd.org, or call the office at 614-486-9613.