Long Beach Lawn to Garden Rebate 2026 | $3 per sq ft Turf Removal

Name: Pollinator Patch
Author: Pollinator Patch

Long Beach, California Water Rebates

Long Beach Water runs its own Lawn-to-Garden (L2G) program, separate from the regional Metropolitan Water District rebate. It pays $3 per square foot of lawn removed, up to 5,000 square feet, plus up to $1,500 toward a professional landscape design. The catch most people miss: you have to apply and reserve your project before you remove any grass.

$3 / sq ft + $1,500 design · Verified June 2026

Lawn to Garden (L2G) Rebate

Open the official program site

How to apply

Confirm you are a Long Beach Water residential customer
Apply online and reserve your project, with photos of your existing lawn, before removing anything
Wait for your written reservation and approval
Remove the lawn and install the garden: California natives or friendly plants at 65% coverage, a stormwater feature, efficient irrigation, and mulch
Submit your after photos and project checklist to receive $3 per sq ft plus the design reimbursement

What you'll need

Long Beach Water account number
Before photos of the existing lawn
Reservation and approval confirmation
Planting plan or plant list
After photos and itemized receipts

Pollinator Patch can help: It picks Long Beach-appropriate California natives for the coastal Los Angeles Basin, designs an HOA-friendly layout that meets the 65% coverage and stormwater requirements, and assembles your before-photo and plant-list packet.

Avoid these mistakes

Don't remove your lawn before you apply and reserve the project. Pre-approval is required and starting early disqualifies you.
Don't install synthetic turf. Long Beach explicitly does not count it as an approved conversion.
Don't drop below 65% live plant coverage at maturity or skip the stormwater retention feature.

Long Beach Water Rebate FAQs

How much does Long Beach pay to remove a lawn?

$3 per square foot of lawn removed, up to 5,000 square feet, plus up to $1,500 to reimburse a professional landscape design (Long Beach Water Lawn to Garden, verified June 2026).

Can I remove my lawn first and apply later?

No. You have to apply and reserve your project, with photos of the existing lawn, before you remove any grass. Removing it first disqualifies the project.

Does artificial turf qualify?

No. Synthetic turf is not an approved conversion for the Long Beach Lawn-to-Garden program. The garden must use living California native or California-friendly plants at 65% coverage.

Is this the same as the MWD regional rebate?

No. This is Long Beach Water's own program and is separate from the regional Metropolitan Water District turf rebate.

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.