Austin pays you to replace your lawn
$1 per square foot, up to $3,000 — WaterWise Landscape Rebate Program, Austin Water.
| Lawn replaced | Rebate |
|---|---|
| 500 ft² | $500 |
| 1,000 ft² | $1,000 |
| 1,500 ft² | $1,500 |
| 2,000 ft² | $2,000 |
| 3,000 ft² | $3,000 |
At $1/ft², capped at $3,000. Your own measurement decides the number.
What the programme asks for
- A landscape plan? The agency page does not say plainly. Ask before you start.
- In the agency's words:
To calculate plant cover, use the mature spread listed on the plant's tag and convert it to square feet when drawing your landscaping plan.
- Plants must come from: Grow Green Plant Guide
These programmes are first-come and funded annually. Being listed here means the agency was accepting applications on that date — not that money is still available today. Denver's 2026 allocation was gone by mid-year. Check the agency page before you count on it.
Planning the new yard
Every one of these programmes turns on the same thing: what you plant, and how much of the ground it covers when it is grown. That is a design question, and getting it wrong is what a rejected application looks like.
Our plant library lists 2,500 plants with hardiness zone, sun and water need — free to browse. Sign in and it checks each one against your own zone. If you would rather see the finished yard before you commit, upload a photo of it.
Other cities in the pilot: Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Albuquerque · see all five