What this project looks like
Many water utilities and local governments help property owners replace living turf with a lower-water landscape. The incentive is for completing an approved conversion, not for buying a particular product. Plants, irrigation changes, soil work, mulch, edging, and permeable ground cover may all be parts of the project, but the local design rules decide what counts.
Common project routes include:
- Remove living grass and replace it with an approved planted landscape.
- Convert a defined lawn area to xeriscape or water-wise landscaping.
- Add required trees, shrubs, or plant coverage while keeping the surface permeable.
- Redirect roof runoff or add a shallow basin when the local program treats water capture as part of the conversion.
A local program can define the same everyday project differently. Treat its approved plan, drawings, specifications, and written decision as the rule for that property.
Who and where usually qualify
Eligibility is local. A mailing address inside a city does not necessarily mean the property receives service from the city program.
- The property is inside the sponsoring utility or agency service area.
- The applicant has the required water account, ownership, or authorization.
- The lawn is real, living turf when the program inspects or reviews it.
- The proposed square footage and final design meet the local minimums.
Use the map and state directory to find candidates, then confirm the address on the administering agency’s site or with program staff. The map shows directory coverage, not a guarantee of eligibility or available funding.
What the work may involve
- Living plants from the approved or climate-appropriate list
- Drip irrigation, irrigation removal, or other approved watering changes
- Compost, mulch, or soil preparation when the rules allow it
- Permeable ground cover such as decomposed granite or rock when the design allows it
- Borders, paths, or drainage features that remain within hardscape limits
This is a project list, not a shopping list. A component can be required, merely allowed, or reimbursable. Those three meanings are different and should be labeled on every program page.
How programs may provide help
Most programs in this group pay by approved square foot or by an area tier. A few apply the benefit as a utility-bill credit instead of sending a check. A program may also pause, fill its annual budget, or restrict participation to certain customer classes.
Compare the benefit mechanism before comparing headline amounts. Ask who pays first, what proof is required, when the benefit arrives, whether it is a check or account credit, and what happens if the final cost is higher than expected.
Before you start
Stop and check: Assume you need approval before removing grass or buying project materials. Preapproval is common. Starting early can destroy the evidence that the agency needs to measure the lawn and can make the entire project ineligible.
A safe sequence is:
- Confirm the address, account, applicant, and property type.
- Read the current program page and application—not an old PDF or third-party summary.
- Document existing conditions with dated photos and measurements.
- Submit the required concept, plan, quote, or application.
- Wait for the written approval, contract, or notice to proceed.
- Complete the approved scope and preserve changes in writing.
- Save itemized invoices, proof of payment, product details, and after photos.
- Request the final inspection or submit the completion package.
Programs to check
Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority Xeriscape Rebate
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
$3.00 per square foot of qualifying high water use turf removed.
Austin Water WaterWise Landscape Rebate
Replace at least 200 square feet of healthy turf with an approved planted, water-wise yard.
$100 per 100 square feet; 200-square-foot minimum; up to $3,000 residential lifetime maximum.
Cash for Grass Lawn Replacement Program
The program may support one of these project types: Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard or Build a Rain Garden, Bioswale, or Runoff-Management Yard.
Standard: $2.18 per square foot. Best practices: $3.68 per square foot. Best practices with disconnected downspout: $4.68 per square foot.
LADWP Turf Replacement Rebate
The program may support one of these project types: Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard or Build a Rain Garden, Bioswale, or Runoff-Management Yard.
Residential: $5.00 per square foot. Residential components: LADWP $3.00 plus MWD $2.00. Commercial multifamily: $6.00 per square foot first 50000 then $4.00. Public agency: $7.00 per square foot first 200000 then $4.00.
Lawn Conversion Rebate
The program may support one of these project types: Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard or Build a Rain Garden, Bioswale, or Runoff-Management Yard.
Standard: $1.00 per square foot. Super: $2.00 per square foot. Commercial median strip: $2.00 per square foot. Landscape design assistance: $200.00.
Residential Grass Removal Program
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
$2 per square foot of grass removed.
Single Family Grass Removal Rebate Program
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
$1.50 per square foot.
SoCal WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program
The program may support one of these project types: Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard or Build a Rain Garden, Bioswale, or Runoff-Management Yard.
$2 per square foot.
Thornton Water Water-Wise Landscape Rebate
The program may support one of these project types: Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard or Replace Pavement or Build a Permeable Driveway or Patio.
Landscape: up to $2.00 per square foot. Limit basis: approved cost and area.
Turf Replacement Rebate
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
$3 per square foot.
Utah Landscape Incentive Program
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
Advertised maximum: up to $3.00 per square foot depending on provider. Division of water resources route: $2.00 per square foot.
Water Smart Landscapes Rebate
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
Residential: $5.00 per square foot first 10000 then 2 $50.00. Business hoa multifamily: $5.00 per square foot first 10000 then 1 $50.00. Tree bonus: $100.00 per qualifying new tree.
WaterSmart Residential Rebates
The program may support one of these project types: Improve Irrigation and Keep a Yard Alive With Less Water, Improve Soil, Add Compost or Mulch, or Build Garden Beds, or Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
Residential total: 50% of cost up to $3,000.00. Turf conversion: $0.50 per square foot up to $2,000.00. Compost and mulch: 50% of cost up to $1,000.00.
Residential Grass-to-Xeriscape and Tree Bonus Incentive Program
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
Currently advertised base maximum: $2,100.00. Temporary doubled schedule waitlisted: $2,000.00 for 500-999 square feet before tree bonus, $3,000.00 for 1000-1499 square feet before tree bonus, $4,000.00 for 1500 square feet or more before tree bonus, up to $200.00 for two qualifying trees.
Grass Replacement Incentive Program (GRIP)
Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard.
Traditional water wise landscape: $3.00 per square foot. Warm season water wise grass: $0.50 per square foot.
2026 Lincoln Waterwise Lawns and Landscapes Cost Share Program
The program may support one of these project types: Replace a Lawn With a Water-Wise Yard or Create a Native, Pollinator, or Conservation Yard.
75% of approved project cost.
Questions to ask before committing money
- Do I need an inspection before the grass comes out?
- How is qualifying square footage measured?
- How much living plant coverage is required at installation or maturity?
- Are rock, mulch, weed barrier, and artificial turf allowed?
- Is the payment a check, account credit, coupon, or contractor discount?
- How long do I have to finish after approval?
Get important answers in writing. If a contractor or supplier says a substitution is “basically the same,” ask the program to approve the exact change before installation.
FAQs
Does gravel make a lawn conversion qualify?
Usually not by itself. Some programs allow rock or gravel as ground cover between plants; others limit it. The conversion and planting plan qualify the project.
Can I remove dead grass first?
Do not assume so. Several programs require existing living turf and may inspect it before approval.
Can a contractor apply for me?
Sometimes, but the account holder or property owner may still need to sign and receive approval. Check the program workflow before hiring.
Does the program pay Hello Gravel directly?
Usually not. Most programs approve and pay for a completed property project using their own process. If the approved design requires aggregate, soil, sand, fill, mulch, or another bulk material, Hello Gravel can help the customer source the correct material after the specification and approval are clear.
Related guides
- get approved before you start
- plant coverage and approved plant rules
- does soil mulch sand fill or rock count
Official sources
Use the official sources below to confirm current rules and availability.
- https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/water/water-conservation/rebate-and-incentive-programs/residential
- https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/water/water-conservation/rebate-and-incentive-programs/residential/rebate-policy
- https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/water/water-conservation/rebate-and-incentive-programs/residential/rebate-questionnaire
- https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/waterservices/supply-conservation/save-water/conservation-incentives/residential-grass-incentives.html
- https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/water-services-news/3259.html
- https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/waterservicessite/documents/flyer_residential_grass_incentives_removal_program_2024_1023.pdf
- https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/waterservicessite/documents/terms_and_conditions_residential_grass_incentive.pdf
- https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/waterservicessite/documents/residential_grass_removal_incentive_project_description_form.pdf
- https://myphx311.phoenix.gov/sewerfee/
- https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/waterservicessite/documents/green-stormwater-infrastructure-handbook2024.pdf
- https://www.ebmud.com/water/conservation-and-rebates/rebates/lawn-conversion-rebate
- https://www.ebmud.com/download_file/force/13328/761?Rebate_Requirements_and_Documentation_-_2026.pdf=
- https://www.thorntonwater.com/residential-rebates-and-free-services/
- https://www.thorntonwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-landscape-rebate-info_rules_application.pdf
- https://www.thorntonwater.com/h2overhaul
- https://www.thorntonco.gov/media/file/march-april-2026-city-voice-newspaper
- https://www.abcwua.org/conservation-rebates-xeriscape/
- https://www.abcwua.org/conservation-rebates-residential-commercial-xeriscape-rebates/
- https://www.snwa.com/rebates/wsl/index.html
- https://www.snwa.com/apps/watersmart-landscape-residential/