The following entities are eligible to participate in the Rain Check Rebate Program:

• Residential property owners including housing cooperatives
• Commercial property owners
• Homeowner associations
• Condominium associations
• Civic associations
• Multi-family dwellings
• Nonprofit organizations
• Not-for-profit organizations

Qualify for a Rebate

• The applicant must own the property or be a non-profit organization with an agreement to complete a project on private or public land.
• Projects must be completed within 12 months of receiving pre-approval from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) to proceed with the project or in the case of a rain barrel, the receipt or invoice should be within 12 months of applying.
• The Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) must have inspected the completed project and found it to be in compliance with its original approved application and the project must follow the County’s best practice guidelines and criteria for that type of project.
• If the property is part of a Homeowners’ Association (HOA), the applicant must provide a letter or other documentation showing HOA approval of the project.
• Applicants will not be eligible for a rebate if their project is associated with permit approval requirements for new building construction, additions, or renovations. 
• All applicants are required to sign a property owner agreement; and, applicants for a commercial or public project will be required to sign an operations and maintenance agreement for the project.
• Applicants will not be eligible for a rebate if the property is located within a municipality that has a similar rebate program for stormwater management projects*.
  

* The City of Bowie manages its own stormwater program and residents are not eligible to participate in the County program. The Town of Cheverly (PDF), Town of University Park (PDF), and City of College Park all offer tree planting incentives to residents. Residents of these towns are only eligible to apply for cistern, green roof, pavement removal, permeable pavement, rain barrel, and rain garden projects offered under the County’s Rain Check Rebate Program.

Rebate Approval

CBT must pre-approve all applications prior to implementation, with the exception of a rain barrel project. However, the rain barrel project must meet eligibility criteria established by the County to receive a rebate and CBT must receive all receipts or invoices within 12 months of application approval. All invoices and receipts for the entire amount of the requested rebate must be submitted to CBT for review and approval. Rebates will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Rebate Amount

The amount of a rebate cannot exceed the cost of the project. The lifetime rebate ceilings per property is $6,000 for residential projects including housing cooperatives and $20,000 for commercial, multi-family dwelling, homeowner association, condominium association, civic association, non-profit and not-for-profit projects.

Rebate Ceiling

An applicant may complete multiple projects until the rebate ceiling's met. Non-profit organizations established pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code may annually perform community projects on public or private property up to the $20,000 ceiling.