Lawn To Garden Rebate In Long Beach

The Steps In Order

1. Measure your living lawn. You need at least 250 square feet.
2. Draw a design that meets the rules below.
3. Apply and wait for approval. Do not touch the lawn yet.
4. Build it, with receipts for compost and mulch.
5. Pass the check and get paid. The incentive is taxable.

What Your Design Must Have

• Plants that cover at least 65 percent of the new area by maturity or within two years, and at least 10 percent California natives.
• A storm water feature such as a rain garden, dry riverbed, berm or diverted downspout, or else 3 inches of compost mixed into the top 6 inches of soil plus 3 inches of mulch.
• Efficient irrigation with pressure regulators and a separate valve for each water zone.
• At least 3 inches of mulch on open ground.
• Natural materials and pavers on sand, each no larger than 2 by 3 feet.

What Gets You Turned Down

• Killing the lawn before approval.
• Fake turf, or a lawn that is already fake.
• Concrete patios or other hard surfaces that do not drain.
• Turf looking grasses such as Buffalo grass or Zoysia, and invasive plants such as Mexican feather grass.
• Standard fan spray sprinklers.

How Design Money Works

Projects under 1,000 square feet can get $500 toward a design from an approved professional. Larger projects get $0.50 per square foot, capped at $1,500. Commercial sites have a 50,000 square foot limit on the lawn incentive.