Low Water Landscape Program
Flagstaff is a high desert community with arid conditions. Maintaining a traditional lawn is water intensive and challenging in this environment. The purpose of the Low Water Landscape Program is to support homeowners and commercial property owners in converting their traditional lawns to intentionally designed landscapes that include low-water-use plant and tree species. You can have a beautiful yard that has native plants, and use significantly less water than a lawn. We are here to help with knowledge, resources and a $0.25 per square foot rebate for converting your lawn to a low water landscape!
Resources
We've partnered with the Arboretum of Flagstaff for some great materials and tools to help you get started with redesigning your yard! You'll find links to the Watering Guide, Landscaping with Native Plants, Common Weeds, Assessing your Property, and Neighborhood Plant Lists, including links to local landscapers and local native and low-water plant vendors.
Follow these steps to participate in the Low Water Landscape Program and receive a $.25/square foot rebate!
Are you eligible for a rebate?
- Do you have a City of Flagstaff water account?
- Are you the property owner, or partnering with the property owner for this project?
- Do you currently have a turf lawn that you maintain with irrigation? (Rebates are not issued for converting plant-less landscapes to a low water landscape yard)
Additional Considerations:
- Large sites may submit up to three rebates if they need to remove the lawn in stages.
- If your residential rebate totals $600 or more during a calendar year, it may be considered taxable income by the IRS. (Contact a tax advisor for additional details.)
- City of Flagstaff Water Conservation staff reserve the right to deny a rebate or a section of the modified area if the final inspection reveals that the low water landscape plan has not been properly implemented did not use low-water-use plants, and/or does not match the approved design plan.
Contact Us!
Contact the City of Flagstaff Water Conservation office at (928) 213-2116 or savewater@flagstaffaz.gov to schedule a visit to inspect and measure your lawn.
*Please do not start removing or killing you grass lawn until we visit you and do our initial inspection.
At the inspection, our staff will:
- Measure your lawn to calculate your rebate amount. Rebate is calculated at $0.25/square foot.
- Provide you with your annual water use for the last seven years.
- Provide you with resources and information like our Neighborhood Plant List, Native Plant Watering Guide, a list of Common Flagstaff Weeds and a list of Local Landscapers to assist in your lawn conversion.
- Provide you with a link to the Water Calculator Tool, Water Calculator Tool instructions, and a blank Site Plan.
- Provide you with Instructions on your next step to converting your lawn and receiving a rebate!
At the inspection, please be prepared with:
- General ideas for how you may want to convert your lawn. We can provide guidance with our native plant knowledge and resources.
- A pencil to sketch out a rough draft of a site plan. We can help you with this draft, but it can change throughout the process as well. You will need to submit a final site plan with your rebate application .
Make a Plan!
Meet with a landscaper or decide if you are up for doing the work yourself. Plan out how you would like your new, low water landscape to be designed. Revise your Site Plan, which is a simple drawing of your yard and where you would like to have your low water, native plants and trees located. Also keep a list of the number of plants and species you intend to use.
Keep in mind these rebate requirements:
- At least 50% of the converted area must be replaced with low water use plants, which are also ideally native. We have plants lists for each neighborhood.
- Rock-cover should be no more than 20% of the new ground cover. We encourage the use of wood chip mulch for water retention on the landscape.
- If irrigation is installed, it must be a drip irrigation system, ideally with a timed controller. No spray irrigation is allowed.
- No fountains or other water features may exist on the property
- Artificial turf is not eligible for a rebate.
Submit your application materials for approval via email at SaveWater@flagstaffaz.gov or by mail
- Low Water Landscape Application Form
- Site Plan with list of plants
- Water Calculator Tool, (Water Calculator Tool instructions)
Water Conservation staff will review your application and contact you with confirmation that your application was approved.
Start your lawn conversion!
After your plan is approved, you can start converting your lawn to your low water landscape design.
Contact us at (928)213-2116 or savewater@flagstaffaz.gov when your project is complete to schedule a final inspection. If your site plan changed during your conversion project, please have your final site plan ready at the final inspection. Water Conservation staff will come out to take photos of the completed site.
At the final inspection, staff will:
- Take photos of the completed site
- Gift you with a bag of outdoor watering tools like a low flow hose nozzle and a moisture meter.
- Provide you with additional resources to help you to continue to save water.
- Celebrate your accomplishment by bragging on you on social media (if you would like)
After the final inspection:
- Your rebate will be issued as a credit on your water account. Congratulations!