Contra Costa Water Lawn to Garden Rebate 2026

Name: Pollinator Patch
Author: Pollinator Patch

Concord, California Water Rebates

Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) runs a Lawn to Garden rebate that pays $1 per square foot to replace lawn with water-wise plants. The residential cap is $2,000, and commercial, multi-family, and municipal accounts can get up to $20,000 per site. The rule people miss: you have to submit your application and receive a Notice to Proceed email before you remove any lawn or sprinklers. Projects started before that approval are not eligible.

$1 / sq ft, up to $2,000 · Verified June 2026

Lawn to Garden Rebate

Open the official program site

How to apply

Confirm you are a CCWD water customer
Submit the Lawn to Garden application with photos of your existing lawn before removing anything
Wait for the Notice to Proceed email from CCWD
Remove the lawn and plant low-water species from the Approved Plant List at 50% coverage at maturity
Submit after photos and the completed project within the six-month window to receive $1 per sq ft, up to $2,000

What you'll need

CCWD account information
Before photos of the existing lawn
Notice to Proceed approval email
Plant list from the district Approved Plant List
After photos and itemized receipts

Pollinator Patch can help: It picks California natives suited to inland Contra Costa County, designs an HOA-friendly layout that meets the 50% coverage rule and the Approved Plant List, and assembles your before-photo and plant-list packet.

Avoid these mistakes

Don't remove your lawn or sprinklers before the Notice to Proceed email. Conversions started before approval are ineligible.
Don't install synthetic turf. CCWD does not count it as an approved conversion.
Don't drop below 50% live plant coverage at maturity or under the 300 sq ft minimum.

Concord Water Rebate FAQs

How much does the CCWD Lawn to Garden rebate pay?

$1 per square foot of lawn replaced with water-wise plants, up to $2,000 for single-family homes and up to $20,000 for commercial, multi-family, and municipal sites (Contra Costa Water District, verified June 2026).

Can I remove my lawn first and apply later?

No. You have to submit the application and receive a Notice to Proceed email before removing any lawn or sprinklers. Conversions started before approval are ineligible.

Does artificial turf qualify?

No. Synthetic turf is not an approved conversion. The new area has to use low-water plants from the district Approved Plant List at 50% coverage at maturity.

Is there a minimum project size?

Yes. You have to convert at least 300 square feet in the front or back yard, though smaller projects are considered if 100% of a yard area is removed.

Free step-by-step help with every rebate above

Every program above comes with a free guided checklist in the Pollinator Patch app: the steps in order, warnings before the mistakes that disqualify applications, and a photo locker that keeps your before and after photos and receipts together. A few high-value programs also offer an optional ready-to-file application packet for a one-time $29.99.