Sacramento Water-Saving Rebates in 2026
Sacramento water-saving rebates peak this winter: the City pays $2.50 a square foot to replace lawn, up to $5,000 per house, for applications filed September 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
Checked against its sources by Levee Line · how figures are sourced · Last checked
Readings first
- City of Sacramento grass conversion: $2.50 per square foot, single-family maximum $5,000, applications September 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027 (standard rate $1.50).
- Toilets: up to $175 to replace a pre-1992 toilet, or up to $50 for one made 1992–2013, with a MaP Premium model of 1.1 gallons per flush or less.
- Irrigation: up to $400 for drip or high-efficiency materials plus up to $400 for a WaterSense smart controller, single-family and duplex.
- Leak repair: up to $250, or $500 for leaks of 25 gallons an hour or more, approved before the work.
- Every City rebate needs approval first; none is paid retroactively, and checks can take up to 90 days after approval.
- Other suppliers set their own rebates; Be Water Smart lists them by address. Amounts as listed in October 2026; programs change.
Each program below is the City of Sacramento's unless another supplier is named. If you are not a City water customer, the City's rebates do not apply to you; find your supplier on the water district page and use its list instead.
Which Sacramento water-saving rebates are open now?
Six City of Sacramento water-saving rebates were listed in October 2026: grass conversion, irrigation upgrades, toilets, leak repair, rain barrels and laundry-to-landscape. The City's rebates page and its outdoor rebates page give the amounts below.
The general rules sit on the outdoor page: rebates are for City water customers only, applicants must own the property or be bill-paying tenants with the owner's written consent, and work done before approval does not count. The City also notes that rebates may be taxable.
How does the lawn conversion rebate work?
The City pays $2.50 for each square foot of grass you replace with water-efficient landscaping, up to $5,000 for front, side and back yards of a single-family home. That rate applies to applications submitted September 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and only "while funds last"; the standard rate is $1.50.
The project rules are specific. The finished garden needs noninvasive, low-water plants with at least 60 percent coverage at maturity and at least five plants, mulch spread 2 to 5 inches deep, and either drip irrigation run by a WaterSense smart controller or no irrigation if you hand water. Artificial grass, herbicides, cardboard, boulders and plants in raised beds or containers are not reimbursed.
The order matters: apply with photos and a plan, wait for staff approval, schedule a pre-inspection, finish within 120 days of approval, then submit receipts for a post-inspection. Labor is reimbursed only when a licensed C-27 landscape contractor does it. The City's single-family application says the new landscape has to stay in place for five years.
A worked example: replacing 1,200 square feet of front lawn at $2.50 is $3,000 in rebate before any design rebate. Whether the water savings cover the rest of the project depends on your yard and contractor price; this site has no figure for that and does not estimate one.
Rebate readings
- $2.50Per square foot of lawn replaced, limited-time City rateCity of Sacramento grass conversion
- $5,000Single-family cap on the lawn rebateCity of Sacramento grass conversion
- $175Most the City pays toward replacing a pre-1992 toiletCity of Sacramento indoor rebates
- $400Each for drip materials and a WaterSense controllerCity of Sacramento irrigation rebates
- 120 daysTime to finish a lawn project after approvalCity of Sacramento grass conversion
What do toilet and washer rebates pay?
The City's indoor rebates page pays up to $175 to replace a toilet made before 1992 and up to $50 for one made between 1992 and 2013. The new toilet must be an ultra-high-efficiency MaP Premium model rated at 1.1 gallons per flush or less, and a pre-inspection is required before you swap it.
There is no cap on the number of toilet rebates, but the City warns that funds "may not always be available." The page also says older toilets can use more than four times as much water per flush as new ones.
The City did not list a clothes washer rebate in October 2026. It points instead to instant discounts on water-saving items at the SMUD Energy Store. Be Water Smart notes that some suppliers in the region offer washer rebates, so check your own supplier if you are outside the City.
Which irrigation upgrades qualify?
Single-family and duplex City customers can claim up to $400 for materials to convert sprinklers to drip or high-efficiency nozzles, and up to $400 for an EPA WaterSense-certified smart controller, per the City's irrigation rebate page. Up to $150 of labor by a licensed C-27 contractor can be included.
The process mirrors the lawn rebate: apply, wait for approval, pre-inspection, install, then receipts, photos and a post-inspection. Projects underway or finished before the pre-inspection are not eligible.
A dedicated irrigation service in the City has its own meter and a backflow assembly that must be tested every year; see backflow testing before you rework the valves. Watering limits also apply: from March through October, City watering is two days a week, before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m., with drip and hand watering exempt, according to Be Water Smart's City listing.
What do other districts offer?
Each supplier sets its own rebates, so the City's amounts are not the regional amounts. The Regional Water Authority's Be Water Smart rebate finder lists programs by supplier or address, and typical categories include toilets, washers, smart controllers, irrigation efficiency and turf replacement.
Two examples from suppliers' own reports: West Sacramento's 2024 water quality report (its latest) lists a smart-controller rebate of up to $150, and the City of Roseville's 2025 report offers a free Water Wise House Call. Be Water Smart describes those calls as about an hour, covering indoor leak checks, faucet and shower flow rates, an irrigation test, a pressure reading and a custom watering schedule.
For energy rather than water, SMUD pays $3,000 to $4,000 for a gas-to-electric heat pump water heater, depending on tank size, subject to funding; the heat pump water heater rebate page covers the conditions.
How do you apply for water-saving rebates?
Apply before you buy or dig: every City water rebate needs staff approval first, and the City says rebates and applications "are not retroactive." Most programs also require a pre-inspection and a post-inspection visit.
- Confirm your supplier on the bill. City programs are for City water customers only.
- Read the program's terms and save the application.
- Submit it online or by mail with the photos and plans it asks for.
- Wait for written approval and the pre-inspection.
- Do the work within the deadline (120 days for grass conversion; receipts within 30 days of a leak repair).
- Send receipts and photos and book the post-inspection. The City says checks can take up to 90 days after approval.
Keep a copy of every receipt and photo. If you also want to see what the change does to your bill, start with the meter: the water bill and meters page explains the two-hour leak test and the City's per-CCF charge.
Sounding notes
This page is based on the City of Sacramento's rebates, outdoor rebates, grass conversion, irrigation, indoor and leak repair rebate pages and the single-family limited-time grass conversion application, Be Water Smart's rebate and City of Sacramento listings, West Sacramento's 2024 and Roseville's 2025 water quality reports, and SMUD's appliance rebate page, all read in October 2026. Where the City's pages disagree on laundry-to-landscape ($100 on the rebates hub, $150 on the outdoor page), the outdoor page figure is quoted. Left out: water-savings estimates for lawn conversion, which no source here publishes for Sacramento yards, and other suppliers' dollar amounts that were not read from their own documents.
Downstream questions
Can renters get Sacramento water rebates?
Yes, if they pay the City water bill and have the property owner's written consent. The City's outdoor rebates page sets that rule for most programs. Lawn work is a long commitment, so get the owner's agreement in writing before applying.
Does artificial turf qualify for the Sacramento lawn rebate?
No. The City lists artificial grass among items that are not eligible for reimbursement. The finished landscape must be living, low-water plants with at least 60 percent coverage at maturity.
Is the $2.50 lawn rebate rate permanent?
No. It is a limited-time rate for applications submitted from September 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027, and only while funds last. The City's terms also mention the standard $1.50 rate.
Do you have to use a contractor for the lawn rebate?
No, you can do the work yourself. Labor is only reimbursed when a licensed C-27 landscape contractor does it. Tools, equipment rental and tree removal are not reimbursed either way.
Are Sacramento water rebates taxable?
They may be. The City's outdoor rebates page says the value of a rebate may be subject to state and federal tax and suggests asking a tax professional. Keep the rebate paperwork with your tax records.
Can you get the toilet rebate on more than one toilet?
Yes. The City says there is no limit on the number of toilet rebates you may request, though funds may not always be available. Each toilet needs an approved MaP Premium model and the pre-inspection.
What is the smallest leak the City will help pay to fix?
The leak must be verified and continuous; there is no stated minimum size. Leaks under 25 gallons an hour qualify for up to $250, and larger ones for up to $500, one reimbursement per customer.
Further down the channel
Back upstream: Sacramento tap water, supplier by supplier