What the residential stormwater charge is
The stormwater line on a typical residential bill is $23.05 a month as of September 1, 2026, up from $21.04, according to PWD's rate notice. It's one piece of the $96.16 typical monthly bill, not a separate bill. It isn't based on how much water you use. PWD sets it from the average lot size and hard-surface area of residential properties across the city, so nobody measures your yard, and a rain garden, rain barrel or Rain Check project doesn't change it.
If one property has more than one water account, the charge is split equally among them, and each account also pays a billing and collection charge. That's why a duplex bill may not match the typical example. For other questions about what PWD covers and what's yours, see who pays to fix a leaking water service line.
Check your property type first
PWD's residential category means a building with one to four dwelling units. Condominiums and mixed-use properties, such as a storefront with an apartment above, are billed on their actual total and impervious area, and those properties can earn stormwater credits for things like lawn or woods, downspouts routed to a grassy area, or installed stormwater systems. PWD assigns the category from property use in Office of Property Assessment records, not zoning.
Look up your address on PWD's Stormwater Billing page. If the category looks wrong, that's a billing appeal, not a landscaping project.
One residential exemption does exist. A lot or garage next to your house can be exempt from stormwater charges as a residential sideyard if it's adjacent to your home's parcel, used only for residential purposes and owned by the same legal owner as the house. You apply through the residential sideyard section of PWD's Stormwater Appeal form.
How Rain Check works and what it costs
Rain Check is run for PWD by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Everyone starts with a required virtual workshop. Workshops run January through October, with new dates usually posted about two weeks before each month, so late in the year you'll be watching for January dates. After the workshop you return a waiver and pick a tool. Costs from the Rain Check FAQ:
Rain barrel: free.
Metal downspout planter: $100.
Rain garden or permeable pavers: the price depends on the tool and your home, and PWD pays part of the installation.
Deposit: planters, rain gardens and masonry projects need a $25 non-refundable deposit before the contractor consultation, and it counts toward your cost.
Full property assessment (optional): $25, not credited toward installation. It takes about 1 to 1.5 hours with you home, and you get a written report on which tools fit.
The limits matter too. Each eligible property gets at most one free rain barrel and one cost-share tool. Renters can sign up, but the owner has to sign the waiver before installation. The program can't replace the public sidewalk or work in a publicly owned alley. PHS usually assigns the contractor based on the tool and your location, though you can ask for one from its contractor list. If a project means pulling up old concrete or asphalt, the FAQ flags possible lead in the exposed soil.
What makes a rain garden work
PWD describes a rain garden as a planted area set lower than the ground around it, with a stone layer underneath, that takes runoff from a roof, walk or paving. Water ponds briefly, then soaks into the stone and soil or is used by the plants. PWD says rain gardens are usually sized to soak in their water within 72 hours, and its design manual sets 72 hours as the maximum drain-down time for regulated projects. Some standing water the day after a storm is normal. Water still sitting most of a week later means something isn't working.
Distance from the house is the other number to know. For regulated development projects, that manual keeps the basin's water level at least ten feet from any building or retaining wall, measured from the basement wall when there is one. A small backyard retrofit may not be held to that rule, but it's a fair benchmark: if a plan sends roof water into the ground right beside your foundation, ask what protects the basement. If your basement already takes on water, sort out where it's coming in first; documenting basement water and interior drainage versus exterior waterproofing cover that.
Questions to ask before work starts
Which roof or paved area drains to it, and how does the water get there?
Where does overflow go in a big storm, and does it stay off the neighbor's property?
How far is it from the foundation, compared with PWD's ten-foot benchmark?
How long should water stand after rain, and who do I call if it stands longer?
What upkeep is mine, and what's my total share after PWD's portion?
Before the assessment, watch from a dry spot during a rain where each downspout lets out and where water collects, and note how long puddles last. That helps whoever designs it. Leave changes to downspout connections or underground drain pipes to the installer or a plumber rather than cutting them yourself.