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Water providers around the Bay Area will pay up to $4.68 per square foot to take grass out of your yard, but the lawn removal rebate Bay Area homeowners can claim depends entirely on who supplies their water. Two programs show how the rules work: Menlo Park’s Lawn Be Gone and Marin’s Cash for Grass.
Neither covers Daly City or San Francisco, so treat them as a model for the questions to ask your own provider.
Is there a lawn removal rebate Bay Area homeowners can claim?
Yes, if your water provider runs one. Each program belongs to a local water provider, and only that provider’s customers can apply. Menlo Park’s is for Menlo Park Municipal Water customers, and Marin’s is for customers of the Marin Municipal Water District.
Marin’s Cash for Grass began in 2021 during a drought. That history is a useful clue: these rebates tend to exist because a water provider wants less water going onto lawns, so the rules are built around water savings.
If your bill comes from another provider, call it and ask whether it offers a lawn replacement rebate. A phone call costs nothing, and the answer decides everything below.
How much do Bay Area lawn rebates pay?
The two programs pay between $2.18 and $4.68 per square foot at their highest tiers, and both set limits on how much lawn counts. Here they are side by side.
| Program | Rate per square foot | Size limits | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menlo Park Lawn Be Gone | Up to $3 | 200 square foot minimum | $300 extra for a rain garden |
| Marin Cash for Grass, standard | $2.18 | 1,000 square feet for homes, 5,000 for businesses | $1 per square foot for a rain garden |
| Marin Cash for Grass, best practices | $3.68 | 1,000 square feet for homes, 5,000 for businesses | Rain garden brings the top rate to $4.68 |
Menlo Park’s Lawn Be Gone rebate
Menlo Park pays up to $3 per square foot, with a 200 square foot minimum, and adds $300 if you build a rain garden. The city’s page says the rebate is “subject to funding availability.”
Residents of Belle Haven may get up to $1,500 more through a separate mini-grant program.
Marin’s Cash for Grass rebate
In February 2025 the district raised its standard rebate from $1.50 to $2.18 per square foot, according to KTVU’s report on the change. The best-practices rebate pays $3.68, and the district’s Cash for Grass page lists a $1 per square foot rain garden bonus on top.
To see what that means, take an 800 square foot front lawn. The standard rate comes to $1,744, while the best-practices rate lands higher.
That gap is the real choice in a lawn removal rebate Bay Area residents can use: the higher tier pays more per square foot but asks for mulch, low-water plants and a rain garden, so you’re trading a looser design for a bigger check. Work out whether the extra payment covers the extra materials before you commit.
Who qualifies for a lawn replacement rebate?
You qualify by being a customer of the right water provider and by actually having a lawn to remove. Beyond that, each program has its own conditions.
In Menlo Park, you must be converting a grass lawn to a water-efficient, drought-tolerant landscape. Plants from the BAWSCA Approved Plant List have to cover 50% of the converted area.
Marin asks for a potable water account, so areas irrigated with recycled or well water don’t count. Each water account can take part once, and the area must have been planted in grass. Bare dirt doesn’t qualify.
The standard Marin rebate leaves you flexibility in what replaces the grass. The best-practices tier is stricter: sheet mulch in place of lawn, low-water-use plants and a rain garden.
How does the rebate process work step by step?
Every step starts with approval, and nothing gets planted or torn out first. Projects begun before approval aren’t eligible in Marin, and Menlo Park wants the site pre-approved with a project plan in hand before plant installation.
Menlo Park’s sequence is:
- Apply through the BAWSCA Droplet portal.
- Pass a pre-conversion inspection.
- Receive the notice to proceed.
- Install the new landscape.
- Submit the completed project.
- Pass a post-conversion inspection.
- Wait for the rebate check, which arrives by mail.
Marin follows the same shape: apply first, have a pre-inspection, then finish the landscaping within 180 days of project approval.
What can you replace the lawn with?
Photo by davidavilak on Pixabay
Both programs point toward low-water planting. Menlo Park’s list is the BAWSCA-approved plants, and Marin’s best-practices tier means mulch, low-water-use plants and a rain garden.
A design drawn up before you apply helps with the project plan Menlo Park asks for, and our landscaping team works from 20+ years of experience in the Bay Area. After an install, we return after 30 days to ensure everything is thriving and operating smoothly, which matters most for new plantings in their first weeks.
How do you check that a rebate is still available?
Ask the provider directly, because a program page can stay up after the money is gone. Menlo Park’s page lists no application deadline and no remaining fund balance, only that the rebate depends on funding.
Marin describes Cash for Grass as available “for a limited time” with no end date, and the rain garden bonus is offered while funds last. The district’s conservation team can confirm at conservation@marinwater.org or (415) 945-1527.
Rates change too. The $2.18 Marin rate dates from February 2025, so confirm today’s figure before you budget around it.
Before you call, have your water account number and a rough square footage of the grass ready. Ask four things: whether funds remain, what the current rate is, what plants or materials are required, and whether a lawn removal rebate Bay Area customers receive covers your type of replacement. Write down the answers and the name of the person who gave them.
Can you use artificial turf with a lawn removal rebate?
In Marin, no. The district’s page states it plainly: “REPLACING LAWN WITH ARTIFICIAL TURF DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR THIS PROGRAM.”
Menlo Park’s program is written for drought-tolerant landscapes, and its page doesn’t mention artificial turf. Get a yes or no in writing during pre-approval, because replacing the lawn first and asking afterward could cost you the rebate.
If synthetic grass is what suits your yard, treat it as a separate project funded by you. Our guides on artificial turf versus sod and on installing turf over existing grass cover how to decide, and our artificial turf service page shows what an install involves.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need approval before I remove my lawn?
Yes. Marin doesn’t accept projects that started before approval, and Menlo Park requires pre-approval with a project plan before planting. Apply first and wait for the go-ahead.
Is there a limit on how much lawn I can be paid for?
Marin caps homeowners at 1,000 square feet and businesses at 5,000. Menlo Park sets a 200 square foot minimum instead, and caps commercial and HOA accounts at $10,000.
How long do I have to finish the project?
Marin gives you 180 days after project approval. Menlo Park’s page states no deadline, so ask for one in writing when your site is pre-approved.
Can an HOA or business apply?
Often yes. Marin accepts non-residential customers with potable water accounts. Menlo Park accepts commercial and HOA accounts up to $10,000, and an HOA may qualify for up to $20,000 if funds remain at fiscal year-end, with waivers decided case by case.
Sources
- Lawn Be Gone rebate program — City of Menlo Park
- This Bay Area county will pay you to replace your lawn with a sustainable alternative — KTVU FOX 2
- Cash for Grass — Marin Municipal Water District