The City of Sacramento Turf Removal Rebate

The City of Sacramento operates one of the most active and well-funded turf removal rebate programs in the Central Valley, allocating approximately one million dollars annually to support lawn conversions to drought-tolerant and native plant landscaping. The program pays qualifying property owners a per-square-foot rebate for removing living turf and replacing it with low-water and native plant landscaping, with the rebate available to both residential and commercial customers within the city's water service area. All rebate amounts, eligibility requirements, and program availability are set by the City of Sacramento Utilities Department and are subject to change without notice, so we always confirm current figures before including them in your project estimate.

The Sacramento County Water Agency Cash for Grass Program

Property owners whose water service falls under the Sacramento County Water Agency rather than the city utility have access to the SCWA Cash for Grass program, which provides rebates for converting existing grass and sprinkler irrigation systems to drip irrigation with native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Residential customers and commercial customers both qualify at different per-square-foot rates subject to program maximums, all of which are subject to change and confirmed at the time of your project consultation.

How to Qualify and What Documentation Is Required

Both the City of Sacramento and SCWA programs share several critical eligibility requirements that every applicant must understand before scheduling any removal work. First and most importantly, turf must remain intact and living at the time of application, grass that has already been removed does not qualify, and neither does dead or bare soil. Pre-approval from program staff is required before any turf removal begins, meaning the application must be submitted, reviewed, and approved before a single square foot of lawn comes out. Once approval is received, the conversion must meet specific replacement standards, including at minimum 50 percent plant coverage at maturity and a drip irrigation system meeting program specifications. Sacramento Xeriscape prepares and organizes all required documentation, photography, and plant coverage worksheets as a standard component of every qualifying xeriscape installation project, ensuring the application is submitted correctly and completely the first time and that the finished installation meets every program requirement before the inspection visit.

California HOA Protections and State-Level Incentives

Sacramento homeowners in HOA-managed communities have an important legal protection that removes one of the most common barriers to xeriscape conversion. California Civil Code Section 4735 prohibits HOAs from requiring homeowners to maintain water-intensive landscaping or banning drought-tolerant and native plant alternatives, though HOAs may still enforce reasonable maintenance and appearance standards. This protection means that Sacramento homeowners in managed communities can pursue xeriscape conversion without being blocked by HOA restrictions that would otherwise prevent the installation.

According to the California Department of Water Resources, landscape irrigation accounts for approximately 50 percent of residential water use in California, and converting to xeriscape landscaping reduces that consumption substantially from the first dry season after installation. The California Native Plant Society notes that properly established native plant landscapes require little to no supplemental irrigation beyond the first growing season, representing a permanent and ongoing reduction in water costs that compounds in value year after year.