WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
East Bay Municipal Utility District, verified August 2026

EBMUD lawn conversion rebate: $1 per square foot

East Bay pays per square foot and doubles the rate for sheet-mulched, native-planted conversions done in the cool season. Program name: Lawn Conversion Rebate (part of EBMUD's Landscape Rebate Program).

$1.00per sq ft$1.00/sq ft, or $2.00/sq ft with the Super Rebate

Verified August 2026 against the agency pages listed under Sources.

Before you touch the lawn. This program pays only for work that starts after the agency has approved the application. The exact wording is quoted below, then the steps.See the steps
Rate, as printed
Standard Rebate: $1.00/sq ft. Super Rebate: $2.00/sq ft (requires all standard requirements PLUS: sheet mulch instead of removing lawn - layered cardboard, compost, and mulch; majority California native plants; plants installed between September and February). Median Strip Rebate: $2.00/sq ft, marked "Commercial customers only." EBMUD lists these add-ons alongside the lawn conversion rebate: Landscape Design Assistance $200 (2-hour designer consultation reimbursement, once per property, min 200 sq ft project); Treebate Pilot up to $100 per tree (single-family and 2-4 unit properties: 1 tree, max $100; commercial, municipal and 5+ unit properties: up to 3 trees, max $300) (requires an active approved lawn conversion rebate project, tree 5 gal+, Low/Very Low WUCOLS). Super Rebate conditions: sheet mulch instead of lawn removal, majority California native plants, planting between September and February, a minimum half-inch compost layer in planted areas, and plant-based mulch only.
Caps
"During any 24-month period, the combined rebate amount provided by EBMUD may not exceed $2,000 for residential and small multi-family properties (4 units or less), and $15,000 for commercial and large multi-family properties (5+ units)." The cap is a combined cap across EBMUD landscape rebates per property over any 24-month window, not per project. No minimum project area is stated for the lawn conversion rebate itself (the 200 sq ft minimum applies only to the Landscape Design Assistance add-on). Rebates totaling $2,000+ in a tax year require a W-9 and may be subject to federal income tax.

The rule in the program's own words

Stated twice by EBMUD. Eligibility condition: "Project has not started and will not begin until EBMUD provides notice of approval." FAQ "I have already started my project. Can I still get a rebate?" Answer: "No; the lawn conversion program is intended to incentivize the conversion of existing lawns and is not retroactive. Projects that have been started or completed (including removing the lawn) without formal EBMUD approval are not eligible." So removing the lawn - even just tearing out grass before the approval notice arrives - permanently disqualifies the project. The plant list must also be submitted before purchase and installation.

The steps, in order

  1. 'Review the eligibility requirements.'
  2. 'Fill out and submit the online rebate application.' (form.jotform.com/ebmud/landscape-rebate-program). Submit WITH the application: before photos of the existing lawn, and the plant list BEFORE purchase and installation.
  3. 'Wait for EBMUD approval before beginning your project.'
  4. 'After receiving EBMUD approval, complete your lawn conversion within the 9-month deadline and provide all required documentation.' Completion documentation: at least three photos clearly showing the entire lawn area converted with minimum 50% plant coverage; if drip installed, photos of tubing plus pressure regulator and filter; if drip installed or hand-watering, photo showing sprinklers capped or removed; if high-efficiency nozzles installed, photos with nozzles turned on (from EBMUD's qualifying list, plants must not block spray); Super Rebate: photos of the sheet mulching process.
  5. 'After you submit all requested information and your rebate is approved, the rebate will be issued as a check within two months.'

Timeline: Nine-month deadline to complete the project after EBMUD application approval; extensions may be granted case-by-case if requested before the deadline. Rebate check issued within two months after final documentation is approved. Super Rebate applications are accepted year-round ("We encourage applying early") even though its planting window is Sep-Feb. How long initial application approval takes is NOT stated on the program pages. No waitlist, funding-exhausted, or first-come-first-served notice appears on the program page or the rebates overview page as of the access date.

Who qualifies and what the project must include

Serves: EBMUD potable water customers in its East Bay service area (Alameda and Contra Costa counties). Residential and small multi-family (4 units or less) on one cap tier; commercial, municipal and large multi-family (5+ units) on a higher tier.

  • Lawn has been irrigated with potable EBMUD water and actively maintained (mowed) for at least the past 3 years
  • Project has not started and will not begin until EBMUD provides notice of approval
  • Plants must cover 50% of the converted area once fully grown; including a tree is recommended (Treebate available)
  • Plants must be low-water-use per the WUCOLS Plant Search Database; all edible plants are accepted for standard rebate projects
  • No artificial turf, invasive plants (per cal-ipc.org), or lawn-like grasses are allowed
  • Planted areas and exposed soil must be covered with at least 3 inches of mulch
  • New pathways or patios must be permeable (e.g. pavers set in sand, gravel, or decomposed granite); concrete, mortared, or glued paths or patios are prohibited
  • Non-biodegradable weed barriers are NOT allowed (landscape fabric, weed cloth, or plastic); only cardboard or paper may be used
  • Existing sprinklers must be removed, capped, or replaced with a drip system or high-efficiency nozzles; if installed, drip systems must include a pressure regulator and filter; plants with different water needs must be placed on separate irrigation zones
  • Plants that need moderate to frequent watering once established are prohibited
  • Super Rebate ($2/sq ft) additionally requires: sheet mulch instead of removing lawn; majority California native plants (calscape.org); plants installed between September and February; apply a minimum half-inch layer of compost in planted areas; mulch must be plant based, not rock or gravel

How the agency checks: EBMUD verifies lawn history via the property's water use (higher summer than winter use) and satellite imagery showing a maintained green lawn in summer

Stacking with other rebates: Stacking with OTHER agencies' rebates is not addressed anywhere on the EBMUD pages read - neither permitted nor prohibited in print. Within EBMUD's own programs: all EBMUD landscape rebates share the combined $2,000 (residential) / $15,000 (commercial) cap per 24-month period; areas receiving a lawn conversion rebate are NOT also eligible for the spray-to-drip conversion rebate or the high-efficiency nozzles rebate; the Treebate Pilot is only available WITH a lawn conversion rebate application; the $200 Landscape Design Assistance rebate stacks with lawn conversion but may only be used once per property.

Contact: East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), Oakland, CA

Watering rules from the same agency

East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) also sets the watering days

Once the new planting is in, the days and hours on that page are the ones that apply to it. The plant guides help pick a bed that stays cheap to run.

East Bay (EBMUD) watering schedulePlant guides for the new bed

Questions people ask

What does the EBMUD (East Bay) rebate pay?

$1.00/sq ft, or $2.00/sq ft with the Super Rebate. The rate line and the full cap wording, including the fiscal-year and lifetime limits, are printed at the top of this page.

Can I remove my lawn first and apply afterward?

No, and this is the rule that costs people the money. Stated twice by EBMUD.

How long does the process take?

Nine-month deadline to complete the project after EBMUD application approval; extensions may be granted case-by-case if requested before the deadline. Rebate check issued within two months after final documentation is approved. Super Rebate applications are accepted year-round ("We encourage applying early") even though its planting window is Sep-Feb.

Does it stack with other rebates?

Stacking with OTHER agencies' rebates is not addressed anywhere on the EBMUD pages read - neither permitted nor prohibited in print. Within EBMUD's own programs: all EBMUD landscape rebates share the combined $2,000 (residential) / $15,000 (commercial) cap per 24-month period; areas receiving a lawn conversion rebate are NOT also eligible for the spray-to-drip conversion rebate or the high-efficiency nozzles rebate; the Treebate Pilot is only available WITH a lawn conversion rebate application; the $200 Landscape Design Assistance rebate stacks with lawn conversion but may only be used once per property.

Who is this program for?

EBMUD potable water customers in its East Bay service area (Alameda and Contra Costa counties). Residential and small multi-family (4 units or less) on one cap tier; commercial, municipal and large multi-family (5+ units) on a higher tier.

Other programs

SoCal WaterSmart (MWD)LADWP (Los Angeles)Valley Water (Santa Clara Co.)City of Sacramento

Sources