Pre-approval is the most important step in every western US turf rebate program — and the one homeowners most often skip. Skip it and you're automatically disqualified. Here's exactly what it is, how it works at every major program, and how to time it.
Find your city's exact pre-approval process.
Find my city →Pre-approval is the utility's written confirmation that your project qualifies for a rebate — issued *before* you remove any grass. Different programs call it different things: "Notice to Proceed" (Albuquerque ABCWUA), "Project Authorization" (Austin Water), "Approval to Proceed" (Bend OR), "Written Approval" (Aurora Water), "Pre-Eligibility Approval" (Surprise AZ). They all mean the same thing: a piece of paper or email that says yes, this project is in the program and the funds are reserved for you.
The pre-approval typically includes a project number, your reserved rebate amount (based on the square footage they verified), and a completion deadline. It's the only thing that legally obligates the utility to pay you when the work is done.
If you finish a beautiful xeriscape conversion without pre-approval, the utility has no obligation to give you anything. The rebate isn't a tax credit you claim later — it's a contract you sign first.
Every major rebate program in the western US — SNWA, LADWP, Phoenix Water, Aurora, Denver Water, EBMUD, Austin Water, all 29 cities we cover — requires pre-approval. Not "encourages." Not "recommends." *Requires.* And every one of them treats starting work without it as an automatic, non-appealable disqualification.
Three reasons utilities are this strict:
**1. Verification.** The utility's inspector or coordinator needs to confirm that what you actually have is what you claim — healthy living grass (not bare patches), the species they cover, the square footage you measured. Once the grass is gone, there's nothing to verify.
**2. Eligibility.** Some programs only rebate the conversion of *irrigated* turf. If the lawn was already dying or wasn't actively maintained, it doesn't count. The inspector confirms eligibility at the pre-approval stage.
**3. Funding reservation.** Most programs run on first-come, first-served annual budgets. Pre-approval locks in your rebate amount against that year's pool. Without it, your project competes for funds that may already be spoken for by the time you finish.
There are no retroactive approvals. The grass has to still be there when the inspector visits.
Timing varies widely. Across the 29 programs we track:
- **1–2 weeks**: Aurora CO, Bend OR, Chandler AZ, Denver, Fresno, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, San Diego, Santa Clara Valley, Sacramento, St. George UT, Surprise AZ - **1–3 weeks**: SNWA (Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City), Albuquerque, Austin, Fort Collins, Mesa, Utah Water Savers - **2–4 weeks**: LADWP (Los Angeles), EBMUD (East Bay) - **Up to 3 weeks**: Phoenix Water (their published timeline for Notice to Proceed) - **Up to 1 month**: Georgetown TX (EGIA processes applications via their portal)
Peak season — late spring and summer — runs slower. Albuquerque explicitly notes their inspector visits "may take 3 weeks or more to schedule during the busiest part of the season." Apply early in the year if you can.
A few programs are faster but require an in-person commitment up front. Buckeye AZ schedules a same-day or next-business-day appointment with their conservation coordinator on site. Aurora Water sends staff out for an on-site measurement, after which approval follows the visit.
Three common formats. Your program will use one of them:
**Photo + plan submission (most common).** You apply online with before-photos of your existing lawn, measurements of the area to convert, and a basic plan showing what you'll replace it with. The utility reviews the documents and issues approval by email. Examples: LADWP SoCal Water$mart, Austin Water, EBMUD, Sacramento, Denver Water via Resource Central.
**On-site inspection (more thorough).** The utility sends an inspector to your property to verify the lawn is healthy living grass, measure it themselves, and walk through your project plan. Examples: SNWA (Las Vegas), Albuquerque ABCWUA, Aurora Water, Buckeye AZ.
**Virtual meeting (Fort Collins's approach).** Fort Collins Utilities requires a scheduled virtual customer meeting before you submit your application. Staff review your design package on the call, then formal approval follows. This catches problems before paperwork starts.
Whichever format your utility uses, the gating step is the same: don't touch the lawn until you have written approval in hand.
Common requirements across programs (your specific city page lists exactly what yours needs):
- **Utility account number** in your name at the project address - **Before photos** showing 75%+ healthy living grass (Phoenix and several others reject patchy lawns) - **Square footage measurement** — Phoenix mandates using their specific ArcGIS tool; most others accept your measurement at the inspection - **Project plan** describing replacement landscaping and irrigation - **W-9 form** if the expected rebate exceeds the program's tax threshold ($600 at Aurora, $2,000 at EBMUD and Georgetown TX, any amount at Bend OR) - **Affidavit of Lawful Presence + matching government ID** at Phoenix Water - **Property ownership documentation** (or written owner consent if you rent) at Aurora Water and others
Download your program's full checklist before applying. Missing a single document is one of the most common reasons applications stall.
You don't get the rebate. That's not a threat — that's the universal program rule.
This isn't an obscure clause buried in fine print. Every program lists it prominently:
- Albuquerque ABCWUA: "Projects that have been started or completed are not eligible for the incentive." - Surprise AZ: "If the conversions are completed without following the proper steps, then you would not be qualified for the turf removal rebate, no exceptions." - Mesa AZ: "Incentives are for future conversion projects only." - Fort Collins XIP: "Started work before receiving written pre-approval" is listed as a top rejection reason.
Utilities don't have discretion to make exceptions — the program's funding source (water rates, ratepayer-approved bonds) usually has specific terms tied to *avoiding* future water use. Once you've removed the lawn, the water has already been saved; the rebate would be paying you to do nothing new.
There is no appeals process. There is no senior manager who can override the rule. There is no documentation that retroactively works. The grass is gone and the case is closed.
Once the grass is gone, no program will pay. There are no retroactive approvals at any major western US utility.
Build the approval window into your project timeline from day one.
**Plan backwards from your installation window.** If you want to plant in October (cool-season planting in the desert SW, fall planting in CO), apply by August. If you want spring installation, apply in February or March. Several programs have hard installation deadlines: Aurora's spring window closes October 15; Austin Water's spring installation window is March 15 – May 15.
**Apply in January if you can.** Most programs reset their annual funding pool on January 1 or July 1 (fiscal year). Applying early in the program year means your project locks in funds before the budget gets crowded.
**Don't schedule contractors until you have approval in hand.** Contractors will sometimes pressure you to start ("I have a window next week"). Tell them you're locked into a pre-approval requirement and need written confirmation first. Any contractor who pressures you to start without approval doesn't know your local rebate program and shouldn't be doing the work.
**Pre-approval expires.** Most programs give you 9–12 months to complete the project after approval — Aurora is 9 months, Utah Water Savers is 12 months, Bend OR is 90 days after the Approval to Proceed. Don't apply if you can't realistically finish within that window.
Yes — measuring, photographing, planning, and getting plant lists ready is all encouraged. The disqualifying action is physically removing any grass. Marking edges with paint or flags is fine.
Depends on the program. Most require the existing lawn to be at least 75% healthy living grass at the time of inspection. If significant areas have died, the inspector may reduce your project's eligible square footage or reject the application entirely. Apply before summer heat does more damage.
At most programs, yes. Aurora Water and SNWA explicitly reserve funds for approved projects. Some programs (like Buckeye's $10,000 annual pool) still allow funds to run out before you complete the project — so don't delay installation once approved.
Varies by program. Common windows: Aurora 9 months (Spring) / Oct 15 install deadline. Utah Water Savers: 12 months. Bend OR: 90 days. Phoenix: 6 months for the conversion after Notice to Proceed. Don't apply unless you can complete within the window — letting approval expire usually means reapplying from scratch.
No. Pre-approval is tied to the property owner / utility account holder, not the contractor. Even if a landscape company handles every other step, the application has to come from you (or include explicit owner authorization). The rebate check is made out to you.
Generally no. Pre-approval is tied to the utility account at the service address. Selling the property mid-project typically voids the rebate — the new owner would need to reapply, and the project would need to still be eligible (you can't combine partial work with a new application).
Every calculator page shows the specific timing, contacts, and required documents for that program.
Browse all cities →Already started removing grass?
Read what happens next and whether anything can be salvaged.
Why turf rebate applications get denied →