Turf Replacement Program

Here’s what your Turf Replacement project should include:

  • Three California Friendly® plants per 100 square feet of lawn transformed.
  • A stormwater retention feature to help keep water in your yard when it rains. Rock gardens and rain barrels are among several sustainable landscaping approaches you can take.
  • Permeable hardscapes that allow water to flow through the surface and slowly filter into the ground.
  • A replacement or modification of overhead spray sprinklers to a more water efficient irrigation system.

 

The Application

 

Two-part application on our official rebate website SoCalWater$mart

 

1. Project Start Approval

Apply for a rebate reservation before you begin your landscape project or remove any grass. Here you will calculate your estimated rebate amount based on your project area and type.

 

2. Rebate Application

After your project plans are approved, you will have 180 days to transform your lawn and submit your rebate request.

The Rebate

 

  • Get $2 or more per square foot for up to 5,000 square feet of lawn converted in your front or back yard.
  • Your water agency may offer an additional rebate incentive.
  • You may be eligible for additional rebates on devices such as weather based irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensors, rotating nozzles, rain barrels or cisterns

 

Check estimate my rebate for incentives offered in your area.

APPLY HERE

Water Efficient Landscape Dual Certification Program

Landscape professionals in Southern California can now become Certified Water Managers and Qualified Water Efficient Landscapers with a unique educational opportunity developed by Metropolitan and the California Landscape Contractors Association. The Water Efficient Landscape Dual Certification Program allows participants to earn two certificates – from the national Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense program and continuing education units for existing industry certifications. The program will explain Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program guidelines to better help residential or commercial customers. The program is free.

The three six-hour courses cover these landscaping fundamentals:

  • Where Our Water Comes From
  • Sustainable Landscaping & Soils
  • Landscape Water Budgeting & Management
  • Irrigation Systems, Scheduling, Controllers, Auditing, Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Find a Landscape professional

The following landscape professionals are EPA WaterSense certified Qualified Water Efficient Landscape Professionals and Certified Water Managers. This list is provided as a public resource and Metropolitan makes no guarantees or representations, and assumes no responsibility or liability, as to the quality of work performed by these contractors.

Sheet Mulching

 

Solarization

 

Sod Removal

 

Sustainable Landscaping Approaches

The Turf Replacement Program requires at least one of the following stormwater retention features. Check out these quick videos to see which sustainable approach works for your garden.

Turf Replacement Studies

Two new studies highlight the value and success of Metropolitan’s Turf Replacement Program. One study found a “multiplier effect.” For every 100 homes that converted their yards using a rebate, an additional 132 nearby homes converted their grass without the rebate incentive. The second study estimated the reversion rate. It found that less than 4% of participants who received a turf rebate later reverted to grass. Both studies helped Metropolitan understand the overall water-savings of the Turf Replacement Program. Learn more below.

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For information about water-saving rebates, please visit the SoCal WaterSmart Website or call (888) 376-3314.

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California Friendly® registered trademark of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Many of the flower and garden images are courtesy of the Theodore Payne Foundation.

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Click the button below to be directed to our Metropolitan homepage. Look for the “Local Water Agency” drop down in the top-right hand corner and input your zip code in the search bar to find your water agency.

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