DC’s Riversmart Homes Program
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and DC’s DOEE administer the Riversmart Homes Grants and Rebates, and since 2017, we’ve installed hundreds of Riversmart projects across the District, including Bayscapes, rain gardens, rain barrels, and permeable pavers. With a small copay, grants cover the cost of the project including the design; lower cost, but a longer process. Rebates allow you to skip the long wait, but you cover all the project costs up front and then apply for a partial refund for qualifying projects after completion.
How to get started:
For a grant, DC residents must first apply through the Riversmart Homes website and receive a site audit to determine which stormwater management practices your home is eligible for. The wait is typically 6 months or longer, so get started early!
If you do not want to have to wait for a site audit, you can instead apply for a partial rebate after your project is completed. You will need to complete a percolation test and have a pre-construction inspection done before funding can be approved, but the process is overall much faster than waiting for the grant funding approval.
Project Specs and Funding for Residential properties:
Grants:
Rain Gardens: copayment of $200 per 50 square foot rain garden (limit two gardens per property)
BayScaping: copayment of $200 per 120 square foot conservation landscape (limit two gardens per property)
Rebates:
Rain gardens: Must use native plants, be at least 50 sq ft, and redirect water from at least 400 sq ft of impervious surface area (aka, a rooftop). Rain gardens are eligible for a rebate of $41/square foot, up to a maximum of $3,000.
No rebates for Bayscaping
Permeable pavement: $6,000 maximum rebate per property for properties located within Wards 7, 8, and/or the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Area. Check whether or not your home is eligible on this map.
How Love & Carrots can help:
We can design and install your Riversmart Grant or Rebate project, and provide maintenance after installation through our Garden Care program.
For Grants:
Complete your application and receive your site audit.
Request Love & Carrots as your contractor and you will be assigned to us.
When your turn is up, we will begin with a free site visit to review your project and your preferences and we’ll take it from there!
For Rebates:
Set up an on-site initial consultation with one of our amazing landscape designers. Our consultation fee is $250.
At the Consultation we conduct a thorough site assessment of what practices you may qualify for, and can discuss and advise on any other landscaping or gardening projects you are interested in.
The next step is typically to create a landscape design for your approval. If you will only pursue Riversmart-funded work, this is included, but for anything beyond that scope we would charge a Landscape Design fee. Half of this design fee can be applied towards the cost of your installation. Landscape designs start at $450 ($225 with a 50% refund), and can be expanded from there to incorporate other landscaping and hardscaping projects you’d like to pursue, either now or in the future.
We can provide as much or as little assistance with navigating the rebate process as you need, billed at our standard design rate.
