Valley Water landscape conversion rebate

The steps, in order

1. 1. Create a user account and submit the online application via the program portal (valleywater.dropletportal.com); customers unable to apply online call (408) 630-2554.
2. 2. Provide information about the existing site: photos, estimated project area square footage, and/or existing equipment information.
3. 3. Pre-inspection: after the initial application is received, Valley Water contacts you to schedule a pre-inspection (file or on-site, as needed).
4. 4. Submit your proposal: planned project details, plant list for landscape conversion, and irrigation upgrade details (quantity, make, model).
5. 5. Get the green light: Valley Water issues a written "Notice to Proceed"; you then have 90 days to complete the project.
6. 6. Final review: submit completed-project photos and/or receipts; Valley Water schedules a post-inspection if needed.
7. 7. Rebate check is sent 4-6 weeks after the post-inspection is approved.

Timeline: No waitlist stated. Valleywater.org: "Current program funding lasts until June 30, 2027, or until depleted. Applications will be accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis in the order received." Once a Notice to Proceed is issued you have 90 days to complete the project; the rebate check arrives 4-6 weeks after post-inspection approval. Program status page (updated April 2026) shows the program actively issuing rebates (149 rebates, ~$490K in Jan-Mar 2026) with ~$700K-$1M/year allocated via the Safe, Clean Water Program.

Who qualifies and what the project must include

Serves: Single-family, multi-family, commercial, institutional, and industrial sites located within the boundaries of Santa Clara County, CA. Homeowner tier is "Single Family/Small Multi-family (4 or fewer units)".

• Site must be within Santa Clara County; program covers single-family, multi-family, commercial, institutional, and industrial sites.
• Participants must own the property, or if renting, have express written consent from the property owner to apply and receive the rebate on the owner's behalf.
• New construction does not qualify; the program is aimed at retrofitting existing facilities.
• Area converted must contain approved high-water-use landscape, specifically irrigated turf grass (lawn) or a functional swimming pool, at the time of pre-inspection; minimum 75 sq ft converted.
• Lawns (green, yellow, or brown) qualify if intact and onsite at pre-inspection; bare dirt, already-removed lawns, and areas overgrown with seasonal weeds do not qualify. Lawns must be mowed and pools filled at pre-inspection.
• At least 50% of the converted area must be covered with qualifying low-water-use plants at full growth (from Valley Water's Qualifying Plant List); plants must be in the ground, not pots; direct seeding does not count.
• All planting areas need a minimum of 2 inches of qualifying mulch (wood/bark, recycled construction mulch, rock, gravel, decomposed granite, weed-free straw); no synthetic rubber mulch; no bare dirt in the conversion area.
• Existing overhead irrigation in the converted area must be capped or removed; any irrigation used there must be low-volume drip, micro-spray, or bubbler with no runoff/overspray.
• Permeable hardscape (pavers, flagstone, DG, gravel) allowed up to 50% of converted area with permeable joints; prohibited: artificial turf, weed cloth/plastic sheeting, mortared/sealed hardscape, concrete pads over 24"x24", sheds/ADUs/pools/hot tubs in the area.
• Not eligible if the same project area/equipment received funding from another Valley Water funded program (Safe Clean Water Grants, Lawn Busters, Lawn Bust Milpitas, Landscape Direct Install, WaterLink).
• California Water Service customers who received or applied for Cal Water landscape/irrigation rebates are not eligible for a Valley Water rebate on those same projects.
• Sites denied for not meeting initial eligibility may not re-apply for the same rebate project within 3 years of the initial pre-inspection or denial date, whichever is later.
• Converted landscapes and irrigation upgrades must be maintained at least 5 years; violation may require refunding all or part of the rebate.
• As of January 1, 2026, rebates of $2,000+ may be taxable income: a signed W-9 is required and a 1099 is mailed the following tax season.
• Requirements current as of the July 15, 2025 update, applicable to all projects with a Notice to Proceed on or after that date.

Stacking with other rebates: Partner-city cost sharing is built into the program (Gilroy, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Jose Municipal Water customers automatically get the higher combined rate/cap; well customers excluded). It does NOT stack with: (a) other Valley Water funded programs (Lawn Busters, Lawn Bust Milpitas, Landscape Direct Install, WaterLink, Safe Clean Water grants) for the same project area/equipment, and (b) California Water Service landscape/irrigation rebates. Cal Water customers who received or applied for those "are not eligible to receive a rebate for those same projects through Valley Water's Landscape Rebate Program." The program pages do not state a rule about stacking with non-water-agency (e.g., state/utility energy) rebates.