The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, known as MWRD, has run a popular rain barrel program for over a decade. Cook County residents can purchase heavily subsidized rain barrels for 21.96 dollars each, with a limit of two per household, and residents age 65 and older pay just 10.98 dollars each. Since 2014, MWRD has distributed nearly 137,000 rain barrels to homeowners, businesses, and community organizations across the county. Disconnecting downspouts and routing water into rain barrels helps reduce basement backups and flooding, while giving you free, chlorine free water for your native plant beds. Pairing rain barrels with a rain garden landscape design amplifies the benefit, since the stored water can irrigate new native plantings during dry stretches without pulling from your household supply.
Native Landscaping Incentives in Chicago
A Different Kind of Savings Than You Might Expect
Before diving in, an important clarification. Unlike drought prone states such as California or Arizona, Chicago and Illinois do not offer cash rebates for turf removal or per square foot payouts for converting your lawn to native plants. That's because water scarcity isn't the driving conservation issue here. Instead, the real incentives available to Chicago area homeowners center on stormwater management and native plant support, since heavy rain and flooding are the region's actual environmental pressure points. Here's what's genuinely available, how to access it, and how Chicago Xeriscaping can help you take advantage of it.
MWRD's Subsidized Rain Barrel Program
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Free Native Tree Saplings
Through its Restore the Canopy program, MWRD also gives away free native tree saplings to Cook County residents. Native trees are one of the most effective tools for absorbing rainwater and reducing localized flooding, and adding one to a native landscape design costs you nothing but the planting itself. We help clients incorporate these free saplings into their overall xeriscape and native plant installation plans, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Conservation at Home Certification
The Conservation at Home program, a partnership between the Forest Preserves of Cook County and the University of Illinois Extension, certifies residential properties that adopt conservation minded landscaping practices, including native plant gardens, rain gardens, and reduced turf areas. While this program does not provide a direct cash rebate, certified properties receive official recognition, access to master gardener guidance, and a certification sign for the yard, which can be a genuine point of pride and even a selling feature for environmentally conscious buyers. We help clients design landscapes that meet certification standards from the outset.
What Documentation You'll Need
For the MWRD rain barrel program, you simply need proof of Cook County residency to purchase at the subsidized rate. For Conservation at Home certification, you'll need to complete an application describing your landscaping practices, which typically includes photos of the property and a description of the native plants, water management features, and reduced turf areas involved. We assist clients in documenting their projects properly so applications move smoothly.
How We Help You Access These Programs
Navigating multiple agencies, from MWRD to the Forest Preserves of Cook County, can be confusing without local guidance. We help clients identify which programs apply to their property, prepare any needed documentation, and design installations that qualify for certification or free plant material wherever possible.
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Even without the large cash rebates available in drier states, converting to native and prairie landscaping still delivers real value through reduced maintenance, better stormwater management, and long term property benefits. Reach out to Chicago Xeriscaping today to schedule a consultation, and let's build a native landscape that takes full advantage of what's actually available here in the Chicago area.