Water rebate tool

California Lawn Replacement Rebate Finder

Many California water agencies pay you per square foot to replace a lawn with a low-water landscape. Enter your ZIP code to see which programs apply where you live, what they pay, and what they require, with a link to each agency’s own page.

Every program checked against the agency’s own site. Last verified:
Optional. Length times width.

No address and no email. The ZIP finds your city; your water provider is whoever is named on your bill, so confirm with them before you plan around a number.

Before you touch the lawn

The order that gets you paid

  • Apply first and wait for written approval. Take dated photos of the lawn as it is now.
  • Read the plant and irrigation rules. Most programs want a plant list, drip or bubbler irrigation, and often a rain-capture feature.
  • Then remove the grass, install, and keep every receipt. Submit completion photos by the deadline.

What usually does not qualify

  • Synthetic turf. We sell it, and it is a fine product for the right yard, but most rebate programs exclude it outright.
  • Rock or gravel with no plants. Programs pay for a living, low-water landscape. Stone is the ground cover between the plants, not a substitute for them.
  • Work started before approval, and in several programs, lawn that was already dead.

Materials for a rebate-ready yard

A qualifying conversion is drought-tolerant plants on drip irrigation with a permeable ground cover between them. That ground cover is what we sell.

Decomposed GraniteDecomposed graniteA compact Landscape Rock GravelLandscape rock and gravelPermeable ground cover in dozens of colors Nursery PlantsDrought-tolerant plantsThe plant coverage most programs require Bark, Mulch and TopsoilBark and mulchAround plants and beds away from the house

Work out quantities with the coverage calculator, see what the change saves on your water bill with the water savings calculator, and if you live in a fire hazard zone, the first five feet around the house have their own rules in the Zone 0 planner.

Every program we have verified

Grouped by region. Each entry links to the agency’s own page and carries the date we last checked it. Amounts change with funding, so treat this as a map, not a quote.

Central Valley

Active

City of Tulare

Lawn to Garden Rebate Program

Tulare

$3.00 per sq ft

min 250 sq ft · up to 1,500 sq ft · cap $4,500

Official program page
Active

City of Fresno

Expanded Lawn to Garden Rebate Program

Fresno

$1.00 per sq ft

min 200 sq ft · up to 1,500 sq ft

Official program page
Active

City of Madera

Turf Replacement Rebate Program

Madera

$2.00 per sq ft for a real landscape conversion

up to 1,000 sq ft · cap $3,000

Official program page
Active

California Water Service (Cal Water)

Lawn to Garden Program

Bakersfield, Visalia, Goshen

Program confirmed; current per sq ft rate not confirmed on the live page

min 250 sq ft · up to 1,500 sq ft

Official program page
Paused

City of Kingsburg

Turf Replacement Program

Kingsburg

Historically $2.00 per sq ft up to $3,000 per year; currently on hiatus

cap $3,000

Official program page

Antelope Valley and High Desert

Active

Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts

Grass Replacement Program (Cash for Grass)

Lancaster, Quartz Hill, Acton, Val Verde

$1.00 per sq ft

min 500 sq ft · up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Paused

Palmdale Water District

Water-Wise Landscape Conversion Program

Palmdale

$1.50 per sq ft up to $1,500, plus a $0.50 per sq ft bonus, when active

cap $1,500

Official program page
Active

Liberty Utilities (Apple Valley Ranchos Water)

Cash for Grass

Apple Valley

Program confirmed; current rate not stated on the live page

Official program page
Active

Hesperia Water District

Turf Replacement Program (via SoCal Water$mart)

Hesperia

$2.00 per sq ft regional base; local top-up unverified

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Victorville Water Department

Turf Replacement Program (via SoCal Water$mart)

Victorville

$2.00 per sq ft regional base; local top-up unverified

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page

Los Angeles County

Active

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)

Turf Replacement Rebate (via SoCal Water$mart)

Los Angeles

$5.00 per sq ft combined (LADWP $3.00 plus the $2.00 regional base)

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water)

Lawn Replacement Program (LRP)

Santa Clarita, Valencia, Saugus, Newhall, Canyon Country, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Fair Oaks Ranch, Sand Canyon

$5.00 per sq ft

min 100 sq ft · up to 2,500 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Long Beach Utilities

Turf Replacement (via SoCal Water$mart)

Long Beach

$2.00 per sq ft regional base confirmed; a Long Beach Lawn to Garden top-up was reported at $3.00 in local news but is not on the utility’s current page

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Burbank Water and Power (BWP)

Turf Replacement Rebate (via SoCal Water$mart)

Burbank

Up to $3.00 per sq ft

min 250 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Glendale Water and Power (GWP)

Turf Replacement Program (via SoCal Water$mart)

Glendale

$2.00 per sq ft regional base plus a GWP top-up we could not confirm

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Golden State Water Company and others (Norwalk)

Turf Replacement Program (via SoCal Water$mart)

Norwalk

$2.00 per sq ft regional base; local top-up depends on which of three providers serves your address

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

City of Lakewood and retail providers

Water Wise Rebates (via SoCal Water$mart)

Lakewood

$2.00 per sq ft regional base

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page

Orange County and Inland Empire

Active

Anaheim Public Utilities

Turf Replacement Program

Anaheim

Residential up to $3.00 per sq ft

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

City of Santa Ana

Smart Landscapes Turf Replacement Program

Santa Ana

$2.00 per sq ft

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

Golden State Water Company (Westminster)

Turf Replacement (via SoCal Water$mart and MWDOC)

Westminster

$2.00 per sq ft regional base

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page
Active

City of Ontario (Ontario WaterWise)

Turf Replacement Program

Ontario

$3.00 per sq ft (reported)

Official program page
Active

Monte Vista Water District

Turf Replacement Program

Montclair

$3.00 per sq ft residential, $4.00 commercial

min 250 sq ft · up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page

San Diego County

Active

City of San Diego Public Utilities

Landscape Transformation Program

San Diego

$1.25 per sq ft (city program)

up to 2,400 sq ft

Official program page
Paused

San Diego County Water Authority

County top-up to SoCal Water$mart

County-level top-up funding was exhausted as of 2026-08-30; added back when available

Official program page

Regional program

Active

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

SoCal Water$mart Turf Replacement Program

$2.00 per sq ft regional base; your local water agency may add more

up to 5,000 sq ft

Official program page

How this list is built

Each record comes from the water agency’s own website, never from a third-party aggregator or an installer’s blog. A dollar figure appears only where the agency’s current page states it. Where a program exists but the page did not show a rate, we say so instead of guessing. Cities we checked with no program are listed as no program, and cities where we could find no official page either way are marked not confirmed.

Statewide reference: SoCal Water$mart · Save Our Water (California)

Earth Stone Rock is a landscape materials supplier, not a water agency, and does not administer any rebate. Amounts, funding, eligibility and deadlines are set by each agency and change without notice. Nothing here promises eligibility or payment. Confirm current terms with the provider named on your water bill before removing any lawn.

Rebate questions

How much is the California turf replacement rebate?

It depends on your water agency. Most pay $1 to $5 per square foot of living lawn removed, with a cap. The SoCal Water$mart regional base is $2.00 per square foot up to 5,000 square feet a year in six Southern California counties, and agencies such as LADWP and SCV Water add local money to reach $5.00. Central Valley cities run their own programs, for example Tulare at $3.00 and Fresno at $1.00 per square foot.

Do I have to apply before removing my lawn?

Yes, in nearly every program. You apply, the agency approves and usually inspects or asks for photos, and only then do you remove the grass. Lawn removed before approval is normally not paid. Several programs also require the lawn to be alive when you apply.

Does artificial turf qualify for a lawn replacement rebate?

Usually not. Most California programs explicitly exclude synthetic turf, because the rebate is meant to create a living, low-water landscape. Decomposed granite, gravel and rock qualify as the ground cover between drought-tolerant plants, not on their own.

Can I replace my lawn with just gravel or decomposed granite?

You can, but it will not usually earn a rebate. Programs require plant coverage, commonly stated as a minimum number of plants per 100 square feet or a percentage of coverage at maturity, plus efficient irrigation. The stone goes between and around the plants.

Is there a rebate in Rosamond, Bakersfield or Visalia?

Rosamond Community Services District has no turf rebate program. Bakersfield, Visalia and Goshen are served by California Water Service, whose Lawn to Garden program is active; the current per square foot rate was not shown on their page when we checked, so ask Cal Water directly. Lancaster and Quartz Hill get $1.00 per square foot from LA County Waterworks District 40, and Palmdale’s program is paused until it reopens in November 2026.