Lawn and irrigation rebates by city: Solano, Napa and Sonoma (2026)
Eco Scapes·Updated
The short answer
Your water provider pays you back. Solano’s county water agency pays $1.50 a square foot to swap lawn for low-water planting, up to $1,500, and half the cost of a smart controller, up to $300. Napa pays $2 a square foot, up to $2,000. Get approval before the lawn comes out.
Find your town below. Programs change every year.
Which rebates can I get in my town?
Pick your town to see what your water provider pays back for swapping lawn and for a smart controller.
FairfieldRebates through Solano County Water Agency (SCWA)
back for swapping 600 sq ft of lawn
$1.50 per sq ft, up to $1,500.
Smart controller50% of the cost, up to $300
- Fairfield, through Solano County Water Agency (SCWA): lawn swap $1.5 per sq ft, up to $1,500; smart controller 50% of the cost, up to $300.
- Vacaville, through Solano County Water Agency (SCWA): lawn swap $1.5 per sq ft, up to $1,500; smart controller 50% of the cost, up to $300.
- Vallejo, through Solano County Water Agency (SCWA): lawn swap $1.5 per sq ft, up to $1,500; smart controller 50% of the cost, up to $300.
- Benicia, through Solano County Water Agency (SCWA): lawn swap $3 per sq ft, up to $3,000 with the city’s match; smart controller Up to $600 with the city’s match.
- Suisun City, through Solano County Water Agency (SCWA): lawn swap $1.5 per sq ft, up to $1,500; smart controller 50% of the cost, up to $300.
- Napa, through City of Napa: lawn swap $2 per sq ft, up to $2,000; smart controller Rachio 3 at 15% off.
- American Canyon, through City of American Canyon: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $750; smart controller no rebate right now.
- Yountville, through Town of Yountville: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $750; smart controller no rebate right now.
- St. Helena, through City of St. Helena: lawn swap $1.5 per sq ft, up to $750; smart controller Up to $20 a station, up to $500.
- Calistoga, through City of Calistoga: lawn swap Calistoga has a Cash for Grass program, but the city hasn’t posted an amount. Ask City Hall before you start.; smart controller no rebate right now.
- Petaluma, through City of Petaluma: lawn swap Petaluma pays in materials, not cash: free mulch, compost, cardboard and a drip conversion kit for at least 500 sq ft of lawn.; smart controller no rebate right now.
- Windsor, through Town of Windsor: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $1,500; smart controller Rachio 8- or 16-zone: $30 off.
- Santa Rosa, through Santa Rosa Water: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $1,000; smart controller Up to $100.
- Rohnert Park, through City of Rohnert Park: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $1,000; smart controller no rebate right now.
- Cotati, through City of Cotati: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $500; smart controller no rebate right now.
- Sonoma, through City of Sonoma: lawn swap $1 per sq ft, up to $1,000; smart controller no rebate right now.
Paid by your water provider while funds last. Programs change each year, so check yours is open before you buy or dig.
Do I need approval before the lawn comes out?
Yes. Every lawn program here wants to approve the project, and most want to see and measure the lawn, before any of it comes out. Pull it early and there’s nothing left to measure, and no rebate.
Once you’re approved, you have a set window to finish, usually four to eight months. Settle the design, the drip and the plants before you apply, so the whole window goes to the work. Some programs also ask you never to put lawn back.
What has to go back in to qualify?
Low-water plants, watered by drip. Most programs don’t allow overhead spray in the new beds, and some want them on a valve of their own. Plants have to fill in about half the area once grown, with mulch between. Artificial turf doesn’t qualify.
Getting the valves, filters and emitters right is most of a drip conversion.
Which smart controllers get money back?
Usually WaterSense, weather-based models. SCWA pays half the cost, up to $300. Napa and Windsor offer money off Rachio controllers, and St. Helena and Santa Rosa pay toward one too. Your town’s offer is in the finder above.
We install Rachio and Hunter Hydrawise smart controllers, and program them zone by zone. Whether a model qualifies is the program’s call, so check its list before you buy. More on controller replacement.
Who applies, and where does the money go?
The water customer applies, and the money goes to that account, as a check or a credit on the water bill. Renters need the owner’s written OK. Keep every receipt and plant list: most programs ask for them at the final inspection.
Where we fit: the design, the drip and zones, the controller, and a free written quote before any work starts, so what goes in matches the terms you applied under. The irrigation page covers how we set up a system; your provider’s watering hours are in watering rules by city.
…very honest and transparent people to work with
All our questions were answered
Before you apply
Not for a lawn swap.
No. The lawn programs here pay only for work approved before it starts, so apply first and dig second.
Sometimes.
It depends on the program. Some want the lawn green at the first inspection, some accept lawn browned by drought cuts, and none pays for bare dirt. Ask your provider before you stop watering.
No.
Not with any of the main programs here. The rebate pays for low-water plants on drip in place of lawn.
Yes.
Most programs pay first come, first served while funds last, and can change or end each year. Confirm yours is open before you dig.
Approval first, then the dig
We quote the work free after seeing the yard, and you apply to your water provider.
Call for a free quote(707) 803-9734
