Non-Residential Grass Removal Program

Phoenix Offers Financial Grass Co​nversion Incentives to Non-Residential Customers to Help Conserve Water. 

Choosing desert-adapted plants and watering them efficiently can greatly reduce customers’ water use. Phoenix non-residential​ customers can receive $2 per square foot of grass removed by converting to low water use, desert-adapted landscapes. ​

Benefits to Customers and Phoenicians

Opting for desert landscaping is one of th​​e most important things Phoenix customers can do to save water. Choosing desert plants can reduce your outdoor water use by 85% and can reduce landscape maintenance.

Eligibility Requirements - How to Qualify:

Applications are subject to approval and must meet the eligibility requirements. Funds will be issued on a first come, first serve basis. All incentive guidelines and requirements are subject to change at any time. To qualify for the grass incentive, you must meet the following requirements:

1.  Grass must be alive and in place to be eligible. Removals of grass occurring before receiving a Notice to Proceed do not qualify.​

2.  Applicants must be a Phoenix Water non-residential customer and receive a water bill or city services bill from the City of Phoenix. Non-residential properties include: HOA and multifamily common areas, commercial properties, industrial sites, and schools. Contact us to see if your property qualifies.​

3. Applicants must be participants of either the City of Phoenix Business or HOA Water Efficiency program. To become a participant, visit https://www.phoenix.gov/savewaterhoa for HOAs and https://www.phoenix.gov/conservationcatalyst for Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) customers.

​​4.  The applicant must be the current property owner or an HOA board president. A designated representative, such as a property manager or HOA committee member, may also apply for an incentive with written permission.

5.  A minimum of 1,000 square feet of grass must be removed. Grass removed cannot be reinstalled while ownership of the property is maintained. See terms and conditions.​

6.  A landscape plan by an Arizona registered landscape architect must be submitted to the Planning and Development Department (PDD). Plans must comply with PDD guidelines. Visit the Planning & Development Landscape Review section​ for more information.

7.  The final irrigation system must be an automatic and permanent drip irrigation system.

Required Documentation:

The following documentation is needed to complete the application process. For all required documentation and links, please see the Application Process section.

An IRS W-9 form submitted through myPHX311​.

An approved landscape plan and associated permits issued by the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department (PDD) through their​ plan review webpage.

A conversion cost bid or estimate.

A documented Notice to Proceed (NTP) from the City of Phoenix Water Services Department (WSD).

A final inspection document from PDD. 

Final cost documentation, following the completed landscape conversion. 

 

Application Process:

If you are ready to apply, you may submit your application here.​ 

1. Wait for a Notice to Proceed (NTP) document from the Water Conservation Office. DO NOT start work until the NTP has been issued.

• After all documents have been approved and the efficiency checkup is completed, Water Conservation Office staff will issue you a Notice to Proceed. Any work completed before issuance of the NTP will NOT be covered for the incentive payment. DO NOT start work until the NTP has been issued.

2​. Begin the Project.

• ​​​You have 6 months from the date of the NTP to complete the conversion work.

3. BUSINESSES ONLY: Register as a vendor with the City on our website, Finance ProcurePHX​ if not already registered. This is necessary to receive payment and requires you to complete a W9 form.

4. Notify the Water Conservation Office via the incentives inbox when the project is completed, wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov.​​

5. Schedule a final inspection with PDD inspections at pdd.inspections@phoenix.gov​.​

6. Obtain the final conversion cost documentation (invoice/receipts).​

7. Submit the final documents to the Water Conservation Office via the Incentives inbox,wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov​:​

• Submit the final PDD inspection results.​
  
• Submit a final cost document for the landscape conversion project in the form of an itemized invoice or receipts.
  
• HOAs, nonprofits, and schools must submit an IRS W-9 form through myPHX311.
  • All documents must be in PDF(.pdf) or Word (.doc/.docx format). We cannot accept .jpg files.

Applicants will receive the incentive in the form of a check. Checks will be mailed to the account address on file for your City Services Bill. Please allow up to 60 days to receive the check.

​Additional Information:​

• Eligible costs that meet PDD landscape plan requirements and fall under the grass removal incentive include:
  • Necessary plants and landscape materials.
    
  • Labor for installation.
    
  • Cost of conversion to drip irrigation systems. 
    
• Owners of multiple properties may apply for incentives for each property. Submit one application per property.
  
• A designated representative, such as a property manager or HOA committee member, may apply for an incentive with written permission from the property owner or HOA board president.​

Water Conservation Office Contact Information 

wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov