City of Chandler Will Pay up to $3,000 to Replace Your Grass Lawn

The city also approved two new water conservation rebates for larger projects, like businesses and apartment complexes.

In an effort to conserve water, Chandler City Council unanimously approved a measure Friday to increase compensation for single-family homes to remove the grass from their front lawns and backyards.

The single-family grass removal rebate increased tenfold, from 20 cents per square foot removed to $2 per square foot of grass removed. City councilmembers also decreased the minimum to qualify from 1,000 square feet to 500 square feet.

The increased compensation goes in effect on Oct. 1.

Chandler residents can save up to $3,000 on landscape conversion by removing grass and installing rocks and plants that don’t require much watering.

City councilmembers also unanimously approved two rebates for grass removal for commercial buildings, multi-family buildings, and neighborhood homeowners associations.

One of the rebates for large landscape projects offers savings of up to $75,000. The program reimburses up to 25% of the total landscaping costs, plus an additional rebate of $3 per square foot to remove non-functional grass.

The city defined non-functional grass as:

• Any narrow strip of grass, especially areas with any single dimension of 10 feet or less.
• Grass areas not accessible by paved pathways and/or are restricted by physical barriers that prohibit accessibility.
• Grass areas installed closer than 10 feet to a street and/or in front entryways to residential neighborhoods or subdivisions where other recreational amenities do not exist.
• Grass areas that are dedicated to drainage conveyances, storm basins, erosion control, or operational discharge and are not historically utilized for active recreational purposes.
• Any grass area not historically used for recreational purposes and are primarily aesthetic or ornamental.

Businesses, apartment complexes, and homeowners associations need to remove at least 5,000 square feet to qualify.

The second rebate for larger projects is the water-efficient technology rebate, which incentivizes installing new technology designed to reduce water use. The technologies can be irrigation systems or cooling towers. City councilmembers approved a rebate for 50% of the cost of technology with a maximum rebate of $10,000.

Information on the rebates can be found here, or by calling 480-782-3580.

READ MORE: Pass on the Grass: Scottsdale’s Latest Effort to Conserve Water Impacts New Homes