Grass removal rebate and turf rules in Las Vegas

Last checked October 29, 2026

The rebate, by the numbers

The rate has moved around. It was a temporary $5 in 2024, dropped to $3 on January 1, 2025, then went back to $5 in September 2025. Quick math: a 1,000 sq ft front lawn is $5,000 from SNWA, or $7,000 if you're an LVVWD customer.

Unconfirmed: we couldn't find an official statement on how much program money is left for new 2026 applications. Check with SNWA before you plan around it.

The rules that trip people up

• Get approved first. Don't pull a single square of grass before SNWA inspects and signs off. SNWA calls within 14 working days to schedule the visit.
• 400 sq ft minimum, unless you remove all the grass in the front or back yard.
• 50% plants. The converted area needs at least 50% living plant cover at maturity, from SNWA's plant list.
• Drip only. Any irrigation has to be drip with a filter, pressure regulator, and emitters of 20 gallons per hour or less. No spray can hit the area.
• Artificial turf counts only as "mulch." It has to be permeable, and you still need the 50% plants. Plastic sheeting and concrete don't qualify.
• It's forever. You sign a conservation easement. No grass or pool can go back in that area.

Timeline

1. Apply and get the pre-conversion site visit.
2. Finish the work and request inspection within 12 months.
3. Fix any corrections within 60 days.
4. Return the signed easement within 18 months.
5. Check arrives within 30 days of the easement being recorded.

Selling the house before the easement is recorded means you lose the rebate.

Your HOA can't say no (mostly)

Under NRS 116.330, an HOA can't ban drought-tolerant landscaping in a yard you have exclusive use of, and the law specifically includes rock mulch and artificial turf. The HOA can still require architectural review and a design that fits the neighborhood. It just can't unreasonably deny it.

The 2027 grass ban (AB 356)

Starting January 1, 2027, Colorado River water from SNWA member agencies can't be used on "nonfunctional" grass. Henderson says that grass must be gone by December 31, 2026.

• Covered: commercial, multifamily, government, and HOA common areas. Think grass along streets, sidewalks, parking lots, medians, and decorative grass in front of buildings.
• Not covered: single-family yards, cemeteries, and recreational grass at schools and parks.
• Functional grass has to be used for recreation, sit at least 10 feet from a street, and be on a slope under 25%. Sports fields, playgrounds and small pet areas count.

Fines (proposed, not adopted): In September 2026, the Las Vegas Valley Water District proposed treating nonfunctional grass irrigation as water waste starting in 2027. Fines would start at $80 and double with each repeat, and owners could get liens. The public hearing is set for December 1, 2026.

The lawsuit

A group of residents sued SNWA over how it decides which grass has to go, claiming the program killed about 100,000 trees. That's their allegation, not a court finding. Here's where it stands from news reports:

• January 2026: a judge issued a temporary restraining order pausing SNWA's turf determinations.
• February 2026: the order was narrowed to the named plaintiffs' homes only.
• April 2026: SNWA asked the Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss the case.
• August 2026: plaintiffs asked to certify classes of homeowners, HOAs, golf courses and churches, and sought a valley-wide injunction.
• A September 28, 2026 hearing was canceled and was to be rescheduled.

Unconfirmed: we haven't found any ruling after September 2026. We'll update this when there is one.

Watering rules and fines for everyone

• No sprinkler watering on Sundays. Drip follows the same day rules. Hand watering with a hose is fine any time.
• Your day group (A to F) is assigned by address.
• Henderson runs its own schedule (groups A to E) and bans irrigation from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 1 through August 31.
• Fees (LVVWD, meters 1 inch or smaller): $80, $160, $320, $640, then $1,280, counting violations in the past 18 months. You can get the first fee refunded by passing an online test within 60 days.

Other limits worth knowing

• New homes can't have irrigated grass, front or back (SNWA resolution, December 2021).
• Henderson bans new turf in residential front yards and caps side and back yard turf at 50% of the landscaped area.
• New residential pools and spas are capped at 600 sq ft (approved July 2022).
• Fountains at single-family homes must be under 10 sq ft. Car washing is limited to once a week per car, with a shut-off nozzle.

What it costs to do it

We don't have neighbor reports for landscaping yet, and good local price data is thin. Here's what's published, labeled by where it came from:

The two local turf numbers are far apart because one is a starting price and one is a full range. Get at least two quotes and ask whether removal, haul-away, base prep and drip are included. If you did a conversion, tell us what you paid. That's how this table gets better.

Rebate math: at $5/sq ft (or $7 for LVVWD customers), the rebate can cover a big chunk of a basic rock-and-plants conversion. It covers a lot less of high-end turf.

Before you pick artificial turf: heat

A 2008 UNLV study found artificial turf got up to 69°F hotter than irrigated grass and hit 169°F. It tested one product, so treat it as a warning, not a rule. Local desert gardener Norm Schilling measured 184°F on turf on a 104°F day. If kids or dogs use the yard in summer, shade and plants matter. Hotter yards can also mean more heat near the house, though we haven't seen a Las Vegas study on how much that changes AC bills.

Why it matters: Lake Mead

• Each square foot of grass removed saves about 55 gallons a year, per SNWA.
• Lake Mead hit a record low of 1,040.5 feet on August 7, 2026.
• In August 2026 the federal government set 2027 to 2028 Colorado River rules that cut Lower Basin deliveries. Nevada sued.

That's why the rules keep getting tighter and why the rebates exist.

By area

• Henderson: SNWA's $5 plus Henderson's $575 and $50 per tree. Own watering schedule and turf limits (above).
• Las Vegas, Summerlin, Spring Valley, Enterprise, Paradise: mostly LVVWD, so SNWA's $5 plus LVVWD's $2.
• North Las Vegas: SNWA member, so SNWA's rebate applies. We didn't find a city add-on.
• Boulder City: SNWA member with its own utility. We haven't confirmed a city add-on for 2026.
• Pahrump: not SNWA. Water comes from Great Basin Water Co. and private wells. As far as we can tell from SNWA's rules, Pahrump homes don't qualify, but SNWA hasn't said so directly.

Not sure who your water provider is? It's on your water bill.

Common questions

Sources

Rules, rebates and prices change. If something here is out of date, tell us on the share page and we'll fix it.