Lawn replacement · California

SoCal Water$mart Turf Replacement Program

Run by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (SoCal Water$mart)

OpenPlan requiredLast checked October 17, 2026
What you get
$2.00 per sq ft of lawn removed; optional tree add-on of $100 per tree up to 5 trees ($500). Local water agencies may add to this.
Maximum
$10,000 per household
Who qualifies
Homeowners (and renters with owner consent per Metropolitan terms) with a water account in a participating Metropolitan member agency area. Must be living turf.
Where
Water customers of participating Metropolitan member agencies and their retail agencies in six Southern California counties.
Status
Open. Funding limited, first-come first-served; amounts subject to change and vary by agency.
Type of payment
Rebate
Official program page

What you do

Replace living lawn with a California-friendly landscape that has plants, a stormwater retention feature and no hardscape except permeable, and convert overhead spray irrigation.

Requirements

  • Max 5,000 sq ft of converted yard per year ($10,000 from Metropolitan)
  • 3 plants per 100 sq ft transformed; each new eligible tree counts as 3 plants
  • A stormwater retention feature is required
  • No hardscape in the transformed area except permeable hardscape
  • Replace or modify overhead spray sprinklers (drip, hand-watering, or micro-spray/rotating nozzles)
  • Artificial turf is not an approved conversion
  • Reserve funds BEFORE starting; project must be complete within 180 days of reservation
  • Inspections by a third party; full rules on the Rebate Eligibility Requirements page
  • Optional: contractor certified through Metropolitan's Water Efficient Landscaper Dual Certification Program

The plan or design it asks for

Application details the planned conversion (area, plants, retention feature, irrigation change); exact documents are on the online application and eligibility requirements page, not fully published in the fetched content.

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 SoCal Water$mart's rules for exactly what to submit.

Start a plan in Sow

How to apply

  1. 1Use Estimate Your Rebate to check eligibility and your agency's amount
  2. 2Apply online to reserve funds before touching the lawn
  3. 3Complete the project within 180 days of reservation
  4. 4Submit the rebate request after completion; project is verified by third-party inspection
  5. 5Receive rebate check

Estimate your rebate

Uses the published rate per square foot of lawn removed and the $10,000 cap. The program sets the final amount after its inspection.

Enter an area to see an estimate

Timing and deadlines

180 days from reservation to finish and submit; payment timing not published

180 days from reservation

Combining it with other programs

Many member agencies (LADWP, Pasadena, West Basin, etc.) add local incentives; device rebates for controllers, nozzles, rain barrels may combine depending on conversion

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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