Del-Aware Backyard Rebates

DEL-AWARE BACKYARD REBATES: PILOT PROGRAM

Are you aware of your impact on your local watershed? Conserving water by using rain barrels and planting native plants is in the best interest of you, your yard, our local streams, soils, and ecosystems.

Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District is re-launching a pilot backyard conservation rebate program with the City of Sunbury and the Village of Shawnee Hills for the 2026 growing season. This program promotes water quality education, and helps you conserve water and soil resources on your property. Conserving water and protecting soil helps reduce erosion, keeps polluted runoff out of streams, reduces localized flooding, and saves you money.

Our goal is to protect water quality by reducing stormwater runoff at home. We can do that in our own backyards by keeping rain where it falls and using it as a resource. For this pilot program we are encouraging and incentivizing the use of rain barrels and native plants, to keep our waterways healthy.

The program allows you to pick one of two eligible items that best suit your needs, and receive a voucher for immediate rebate to cover $50 of the cost of your choice of a rain barrel or native plants.

Program active May 1, 2026 – October 31, 2026.

HOW IT WORKS

Del-Aware Rebates offers one rebate voucher per household per year for the purchase of an eligible, approved backyard conservation item to residents living within incorporated limits of the City of Sunbury, Ohio, or the Village of Shawnee Hills. After testing this pilot program, we will open it up to other interested municipalities in the county. Pending their approval and funding, residents of those municipalities will also be eligible for rebate. Here’s how it works:

Verify Your Eligibility – You are more than welcome to skip to the next step if you’d like to learn more about backyard conservation regardless of your eligibility for a rebate. However, we know you are probably here because of that rebate! At this time, only residents living within incorporated areas (city/village limits) of Shawnee Hills and Sunbury are eligible.
- How do you know if you live in an incorporated area?
  - Check your tax district.
- How to check your tax district
  - Click here to visit the Delaware County Auditor GIS Property Search Website
  - Type in address or owner name
  - A window will pop up with a hotlink that reads “Auditors Website”
  - Click the Auditors Website link
  - In the top box titled “Property Information” you will see your Tax District listed.
  - If the Tax District listed reads, “36 Shawnee Hills Corp” or “37 Sunbury Corp” then you are eligible.
  - If you are not in one of these Tax Districts, you are not eligible.
Learn – First, you must participate in the education requirement of the program. At this time, the only way to meet this requirement is to view the presentation below, and complete our online quiz. In the future we hope to provide in-person workshops as an option to complete the education requirement.
Submit for Voucher – After viewing the online presentation and passing the quiz, fill out the form below or email efisher@co.delaware.oh.us with your name, address, email (only for communication purposes-we will not spam your inbox), phone number, and your voucher code.
Receive Voucher – After we receive your information, we will email you a voucher for your rebate, along with detailed instructions and rules. Please read these rules carefully before redeeming your voucher. Now it’s time to pick which rebate you want!
Redeem Your Rebate! – Once you receive your voucher, you can take it directly to a participating vendor (at this time this includes Scioto Gardens, Leaves for Wildlife, or Delaware SWCD) and present it for an immediate discount (no reimbursement, just $50 off at the time of purchase). Remember, only one rebate per household per year.

In addition, you must pay tax out of your own pocket. More details will be shared when we send you your voucher and program rules.

REBATES SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

At this time, rebates are only available for residents of the City of Sunbury and the Village of Shawnee Hills. We will manually verify your tax district via the Delaware County Auditor after you participate in the online quiz (we encourage you to check your tax district, and therefore your eligibility first, with the above instructions, before taking the online quiz). Then, we will issue a voucher which will specify your tax district and what rebates are available to you. Rebates are very limited, subject to availability, and can change from year to year. Rebate funding and availability is currently only available to interested municipalities who partner with Delaware SWCD on stormwater outreach and education, and is subject to their available funding. After testing this pilot program, we hope to open it up to other interested municipalities in the county. We reserve the right to modify or end the program pending the outcome of the pilot run in 2026.

Thank you to the City of Sunbury and Village of Shawnee Hills for funding this pilot program for their residents!

REBATE ITEMS

Rain Barrels

Rain barrels collect water from your downspout, which can then be used for gardening, washing your car, and more. This prevents runoff carrying lawn fertilizers, grass clippings, pet waste, and other pollutants from entering the nearest stream, river, or lake.

Native Plants

Native plants are plants that have evolved with our soils and climate. Their long roots absorb excess stormwater runoff, much more-so than some non-natives or turf grass, and help create pathways for water and nutrient infiltration in the soil. They also filter out pollutants, prevent erosion, act as carbon sinks, and provide food and habitat for native pollinators and wildlife.