Synthetic Turf Rebates
Cities and towns throughout California offer synthetic turf rebates. Homeowners and business owners qualify when they replace their lawns with synthetic turf. Since synthetic turf doesn’t need water, making the switch helps save resources. That said, a city may need to inspect and approve your project before you replace your lawn in order to qualify for a rebate.
Municipalities also tend to update their synthetic turf rebate programs. Check with your local water provider to ensure you have the most up to date info. Below are some water districts that offer synthetic turf rebates. If you are only using artificial grass as an accent in your garden, there are also landscape rebates and irrigation rebates listed at the bottom of the page.
Artificial Grass Rebates
Looking for artificial grass rebates? You have come to the right place. There are a lot of artificial grass rebates out there. Your county or city may offer them. Read on to find out if there is one in your area and if your new faux lawn can qualify.
Contra Costa Water District
Serves: Antioch, Bay Point, Brentwood (portion), Clayton, Clyde, Concord, Martinez (portion), Oakley, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Port Costa, and Walnut Creek (portion).
The Contra Costa Water District has updated its rebate program. It now gives a rebate of $1 per square foot of lawn replaced. “A minimum of 300 square feet of lawn must be converted in the front yard or back yard.” Take note that you will no longer qualify for the program if you replace all your lawn with artificial turf. The program requires replacing “at least 50% of the area with living plant cover once the plants are fully grown.”
The district wants to entice people to replace their water-thirsty grass with trees, shrubs, and similar plants. Property owners can still install small areas of artificial turf. They just need to meet the 50% requirement and hire a licensed contractor to install the turf.
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- Click here for more details.
- Click here for details on obtaining a rebate when you install a smart controller in Contra Costa County.
Estero Municipal Improvement District
Serves Foster City and part of City of San Mateo.
Homeowners are eligible for a rebate of $4 per square foot of lawn converted to a synthetic surface. The max rebate is $5,000. Irrigation customers (which may include commercial property owners and multi-family dwellings) are eligible for a rebate of $4 per square foot. Max rebate is $10,000 per customer.
Rebates are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
More rebates are available for taking other water-conservation measures. This includes converting sections of lawn to drought-resistant plants, using at least 60 CCF bi-monthly, converting to smart irrigation devices, and replacing sprinklers with Pressure Regulating Sprinkler Heads and Rotating Nozzles.
Madera
City of Madera offers customers a rebate of “$2.00 per sq. ft of turf removed and replaced with water-efficient landscape, or $3.00 per sq. ft if replaced with artificial turf, 1,000 square feet maximum.” The maximum rebate amount is $3,000. There are also drip irrigation and smart irrigation controller rebates available. Everything is on a first come, first served basis.
Modesto
City of Modesto water customers can receive “a $2 per square foot rebate when they convert their existing grass area with any qualifying artificial turf products or drought tolerant landscape products.” Residential homes have a rebate maximum of $3,000 and commercial customers have a maximum of $6,000. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Monterey Area
The California American Water and Monterey Peninsula Water Management District offer rebates to those that converted their lawns to drought tolerant landscaping. That includes artificial grass.
Homeowners can get rebates of $1 per square foot of lawn replaced. No more than 2,500 square feet of lawn area replaced can qualify.
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- Click here for more info about the program (and rebates for additional water-saving measures).
Business owners may qualify for a rebate of $1 per square foot of lawn replaced. They must also use drought tolerant plants and materials. Rebates are limited to 5,000 square feet of lawn area.
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- Click here for more info about the program (and rebates for additional water-saving measures).
Sacramento County
Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) offers its customers a Cash for Grass program “to convert their existing grass and sprinkler irrigation systems to a drip irrigation system with native and drought-tolerant landscaping.” Homeowners can receive a rebate of $1 per square foot of converted grass with a maximum of $2,000 per household. Any artificial turf needs to be installed by a licensed contractor and “customers must receive approval from SCWA staff on all projects before beginning.”
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- Click here for more info about the program (and rebates for additional water-saving measures).
Landscape Rebates & Irrigation Rebates
Landscape rebates and irrigation rebates may be a better fit for your project. These programs are for those only using synthetic grass as an accent. These rebates are only for those replacing their entire lawn with low-water plants. Here are the landscape rebates and irrigation rebates offered by other water districts and programs.
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Serves 1.3 mil in: Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Piedmont, Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Lafayette, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Danville, and San Ramon.
East Bay MUD provides customers with the Lawn Conversion program. The program has three types of rebates: a standard rebate of $1 per square foot of lawn converted to sustainable landscaping, a super rebate of $2 per square foot for adding “additional ecological best practices”, and a median strip rebate of $2 per square foot for commercial customers “to convert these lawn strips to waterwise plants and drip irrigation.” Rebates may not exceed $2,000 for residential and multi-family properties (in a 24-month period). The max for commercial properties is $15,000.
East Bay MUD offers an Irrigation Equipment rebate too. Rebate amounts vary and depend on the equipment being replaced. Check the full summary for more details. At this time, the district doesn’t offer any rebates when you replace your lawn with faux grass.
Solano County Water Agency
Serves Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, Suisun City, Benicia, Dixon, and Rio Vista.
Rebates here are $1.50 per square foot of lawn replaced. You must use water-efficient landscaping. Max rebate is $1,500 for homeowners. For commercial customers, it’s $5,000.
As of now, no rebates are available for synthetic grass replacement.
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- Click here for more info about the residential program (and additional water-saving measures).
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- Click here for more info about the commercial program.
Soquel Creek Water District
Serves Aptos, La Selva Beach, Opal Cliffs, Rio Del Mar, Seascape, Soquel, and portions of the City of Capitola.
Soquel Creek Water District offers “up to $2 per square foot of turf replaced with low-water-use plants.” The maximum for single-family homes is $2,000 and for commercial and multi-family residential customers, it is $10,000. Artificial grass does not qualify for the program.
