Lawn replacement · California

LADWP Residential Turf Replacement Rebate

Run by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (with Metropolitan Water District)

OpenPlan requiredLast checked October 17, 2026
What you get
$5.00 per sq ft ($3 LADWP plus $2 MWD SoCal Water$mart)
Maximum
$25,000 per household
Who qualifies
Residential LADWP water customers. Commercial/multi-family get $6/sq ft and public agencies $7/sq ft (not covered here).
Where
Residential LADWP water customers in the City of Los Angeles.
Status
Open. Per official page (page notes program subject to change or termination without notice; open/closed status not stated)
Type of payment
Rebate
Official program page

What you do

Remove lawn (250 to 5,000 sq ft) and replace it with a California Friendly landscape, with a rain capture feature and drip irrigation encouraged.

Requirements

  • Project size 250 to 5,000 sq ft
  • Pre-approval required before removing any grass
  • Pre-approval submission: at least 5 photos, first page of LADWP bill, project measurements, and a landscape plan
  • Complete project within 6 months of pre-approval (Oct-Mar recommended planting window)
  • Landscape can include California Friendly or native plants, mulch/groundcover, rain capture feature (rain garden, barrel, cistern, infiltration trench, swale), drip irrigation
  • Converted area must stay compliant for 5 years
  • Review Sustainable Landscape Checklist; submit photos of finished project; project may be inspected before payment

The plan or design it asks for

A landscape plan plus measurements and 5+ photos are submitted with the pre-approval request, before work begins.

Native plant lists for the area: Los Angeles

Make the plan in Sow

Draw the layout and build the plant list

Sow places plants on a photo of your yard and keeps a list of everything you add. Check LADWP's rules for exactly what to submit.

Start a plan in Sow

How to apply

  1. 1Assess, measure and design the area (Transform Your Lawn booklet, free classes, design templates, low-water plant list)
  2. 2Reserve the rebate at socalwatersmart.com and upload plan, photos, bill, measurements
  3. 3Wait for pre-approval, then start work; finish within 6 months
  4. 4Review the Sustainable Landscape Checklist and submit completion photos at socalwatersmart.com
  5. 5Rebate issued after review/inspection

Estimate your rebate

Uses the published rate per square foot of lawn removed and the $25,000 cap. The program sets the final amount after its inspection.

Enter an area to see an estimate

Timing and deadlines

6 months to complete; payment timing not published

6 months from pre-approval

Combining it with other programs

Page does not say; related LADWP Parkway Landscaping rebate (parkway: remove all grass, drip, 80% plant coverage, mulch only, plants under 36 in) exists with amount not published

Sources

Last checked October 17, 2026. See something out of date? Tell us.

Sow is not affiliated with any of these agencies or utilities. Amounts and rules change, often at the start of a fiscal year, so confirm the details on the official page before you start a project. How we research these programs

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