Phoenix
Offers Financial Grass Conversion 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, up to a project total of $250,000 per site, by converting to low water use, desert-adapted landscapes.
Benefits to Customers and Phoenicians
Opting for desert landscaping is one of the 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.
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:
-
Grass conversions occurring before receiving a Notice to Proceed (NTP) are ineligible.
-
Applicants must be a Phoenix Water non-residential customer and receive a water bill or city services bill from the City of Phoenix.
-
Applicants must be participants of a City of Phoenix Business Water Consultation or an HOA Water Efficiency Check-Up with Phoenix Water Services staff.
-
Applications must be for a non-residential property (commercial, industrial, or institutional). Some possible properties include, but are not limited to:
-
Multifamily residences (apartments, condominiums, etc.)
-
Homeowner's Association common areas
-
Commercial properties
-
Industrial sites
-
Schools
-
Other projects may qualify. Please contact us directly via the Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov.
-
Applicants must be enrolled in a Business or Homeowner Association Water Efficiency Program. Any non-residential customer which is not an HOA should complete a
Business Water Consultation.
-
The official applicant must be the current property owner, HOA board president, or authorized party.
-
A minimum of 1,000 square feet of grass must be removed to qualify for the incentive.
-
The incentive amount is $2.00 per square foot of grass removal up to a project total of $250,000. The incentive will only cover square footage of actual growing grass removed. Bare soil does not qualify. The square footage will be verified at the pre-inspection. The removed grass area must be replaced with a minimum of 50% live plant coverage at maturity per Phoenix Planning & Development requirements. You may find the landscape plan checklist here: Planning and Development Checklists (phoenix.gov).
-
Plants selected must be on the ADWR approved plant list found at the following link: Low Water Use/Drought-Tolerant Plant List (azwater.gov).
-
You must
NOT have already converted the area from grass to desert landscaping. Grass conversions occurring
before receiving a Notice to Proceed are
ineligible to receive the incentive.
-
Irrigation systems must be converted to drip irrigation systems if they are not already drip irrigation.
Project Elements:
Learn about additional project elements below.
Landscape Eligibility:
Conversion Requirements:
-
Plan must include 50% or greater desert-adapted plant coverage at mature growth status.
-
Must include a drip, automatic irrigation system design plan.
-
All landscape plans must comply with City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department (PDD) guidelines. Learn more about this process in the Application Process section.
Required Documentation:
The following documentation is needed to complete the application process. For all required documentation and links, please see the Application Process section.
-
A City of Phoenix Vendor ID number and profile.
-
A landscape plan submitted to the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department (PDD) using the SHAPE PHX tool.
-
A documented landscape plan approval from PDD.
-
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:
Apply for the incentives by sending forms to the Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov. Applicants must follow these steps to successfully complete the program and receive an incentive:
-
Be a participant of a Business Water Consultation or an HOA Water Efficiency Check-Up with Phoenix Water Services staff.
-
Applicants must be enrolled in a Business or Homeowner Association Water Efficiency Program. Any non-residential customer which is not an HOA should complete a
Business Water Consultation.
-
To schedule a
Business Water Consultation (this includes all CII customers except HOAs), please visit our web page, Conservation Catalyst (phoenix.gov), or contact us to verify previous enrollment.
-
To schedule an
HOA Water Efficiency Assessment, please visit our web page, HOA Water Efficiency Program (phoenix.gov), or contact us to verify previous enrollment.
-
Register as a City vendor on our website, Finance ProcurePHX (phoenix.gov).
-
Create a landscape plan that will meet the Planning and Development Department (PDD) requirements.
-
Submit a landscape plan and obtain plan approval from the Planning and Development Department (PDD).
-
Submit a cost bid or estimate to the Water Conservation Office.
-
Submit documents to the Water Conservation Office via the Conservation Inbox.
-
Submit the landscape plan approval from the PDD to the
Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov. Applicants must provide their approved plans as well as evidence of approval (application number and documents issued by PHX-PDD).
-
Submit the landscape conversion cost estimate to the Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov.
-
Wait for a Notice to Proceed (NTP) document from the Water Conservation Office. DO NOT start work until the NTP has been issued.
-
Begin the project.
-
Notify the Water Conservation Office via the Conservation Inbox when the project is completed. Schedule a final inspection with PDD.
-
Obtain the final conversion cost documentation.
-
Submit the final documents to the Water Conservation Office.
-
Submit the final PDD inspection results to the Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov.
-
Submit a final cost document for the landscape conversion project in the form of an itemized invoice or receipt to the Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov.
-
The incentive will be issued after final documents are processed and approved.
Submit all documents to the Water Conservation Office via the Conservation Incentive Inbox wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov.
All documents must be in PDF (.pdf) or
Word (.doc/.docx format).
We cannot accept .jpeg files.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis while funding lasts.
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.
Tips:
-
Retain all landscape plan approval documentation.
-
DO NOT BEGIN THE CONVERSION WITHOUT CITY OF PHOENIX WATER SERVICES DEPARTMENT APPROVAL. Choosing to do so could impact your eligibility to receive the incentive.
-
In order to receive the incentive, you must complete the conversion within 6 months of the date of the issuance of the Notice to Proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- The incentive amount is $2.00 per square foot of grass removal up to a project total cost of $250,000. The incentive will only cover square footage of actual
living grass removal. Bare soil does not qualify. Square footage will be verified at pre-inspection by the City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department (PDD). The minimum grass area conversion is equal to 1,000 square feet.
- 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 permission from the property owner or HOA board president.
- For questions regarding incentives for shared-ownership properties, please contact vendor support at vendor.support@phoenix.gov or 602-262-1819.
- Projects removing a grass area larger than 125,000 square feet will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Contact us at wsd.incentives@phoenix.gov to inquire.
