Treebate provides a one-time credit on City of Portland water/sewer/stormwater bills when Portlanders plant a tree in their residential yard. The program encourages people to plant trees that will intercept rainwater, reducing the amount of stormwater runoff collected in the sewer system during rainstorms and reducing pollution in rivers. Larger trees receive larger credits because they will capture a greater amount of rain when they are fully grown.
Treebate is an annual program, running from September 1 to April 30, which is the best time to plant a tree in Portland. Trees must be purchased, planted and applications submitted during that time. Only applications for trees planted during the current planting season are eligible.
Trees must be planted in the yard of a single-family home or duplex by the homeowner (or one who has received permission from the owner prior to planting) and be a City of Portland water/sewer/stormwater utility customer for the property where the tree was planted. The location where the tree is planted must allow enough space for the tree to reach its full mature size. Additionally, the tree planting cannot be part of a requirement by City code or City-issued permit.
Trees may not be on Portland’s Nuisance Tree List, must be at least four feet tall when purchased (measured from the top of the soil) and be at least 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide at maturity with a single stem. Minimum mature tree size qualification is waived for edible fruit trees.
The program does not include woody plants such as shrubs, arborescent shrubs or plants used to create hedges or other closely planted buffers or thick borders on private property. Specimens bred or pruned to maintain an artificially reduced canopy, such as a topiary, espaliered, pollarded specimens and small weeping varieties, are also not eligible for this program.
Treebates credits 50 percent of the tree’s purchase price, up to $10 for edible fruit trees (apple, pear, peach and persimmon), $20 for small trees (Japanese maple, flowering dogwood, Persian ironwood, magnolia), $30 for medium trees (silverleaf oak, dawn redwood, red maple) and $50 for large trees (Douglas fir, Oregon white oak, giants sequoia, London plane). Treebate shows up as an “adjustment” on the water/sewer/stormwater bill.
This is the final year of the Treebate program. Treebate will conclude when the application window closes at the end of the current cycle, April 30, 2026. To apply and for FAQs, visit portland.gov/bes/grants-incentives/about-treebate.
