How much is the Surprise turf removal rebate?

$2 per square foot for up to 1,000 square feet, capped at $2,000, for single-family residential properties. There are separate rebates for new-home xeriscape installation and WaterSense irrigation controllers.

Can I remove my grass and then apply?

No. You must contact the Water Conservation Office and receive pre-eligibility approval before removing any grass. Removing it first makes you ineligible.

Do I have to be a City of Surprise water customer?

No. The programme was expanded so customers of other providers, including EPCOR and El Mirage Water, can apply as long as you are within city limits.

What is the minimum area?

500 square feet of warm-season Bermuda, or complete removal of all turf if the area is smaller than 500 square feet.

Does artificial turf qualify?

The rebate is for removing Bermuda and converting to xeriscape. Whether artificial turf counts toward the converted area, and at what rate, varies by city and programme year. Confirm with the Water Conservation Office on 623-222-6000 rather than relying on any installer's claim, ours included.

Surprise Turf Removal Rebate: How to Get $2 per Sq Ft

Q: Will funding run out?

It can. Rebates are first-come, first-served and the programme ends when funding is depleted or the deadline passes. Applying early matters.

The rule that costs people the rebate

Do not remove any grass before you have pre-eligibility approval. You must contact the City of Surprise Water Conservation Office and receive approval before completing your application and before the grass comes out. Remove it first and you are ineligible, with no appeal.

Call 623-222-6000 or start at surpriseaz.gov to begin. Then call us.

What it pays

Rebate	Amount	Notes
Single-family turf removal	$2 per sq ft	Up to 1,000 sq ft, capped at $2,000
New-home xeriscape install	$400	Home purchased and built within the past two years
WaterSense irrigation controller	Up to $125	Smart controller replacement
Multifamily / HOA / commercial	Varies	Increased amounts under the expanded program

Amounts and deadlines change between program years. Confirm current terms with the Water Conservation Office on 623-222-6000 before budgeting.

Who qualifies

You must be within Surprise city limits.
You do not have to be a City of Surprise water customer. The programme was expanded so that customers of other providers, including EPCOR and El Mirage Water, can apply. This catches a lot of residents out — plenty assume they are excluded and never apply.
Minimum removal is 500 square feet of warm-season Bermuda, or complete removal of all turf if the area is smaller than 500 square feet.
Pre-eligibility approval is mandatory before removal.

Funding runs out

Rebates are first-come, first-served and the programme ends when funding is depleted or the deadline passes, whichever happens first. That is not boilerplate — cities across the Valley have closed grass rebate programmes early after heavier participation than budgeted.

If you are planning a conversion this year, applying early matters more than picking the perfect design. You can refine the design after approval.

The honest part about artificial turf

A lot of turf companies advertise this rebate as though installing artificial grass is what you get paid for. That is not how it reads.

The rebate is for removing Bermuda grass and converting to xeriscape — drought-tolerant planting from the Arizona Department of Water Resources list, with appropriate ground cover. Whether artificial turf counts toward the converted area, and at what rate, varies by city and by programme year. Some Valley cities pay a much lower rate for artificial turf than for planted xeriscape.

Our position: we design your conversion to give it the best chance of qualifying, we tell you what we understand the current rules to be, and we tell you to confirm with the Water Conservation Office rather than taking our word for it. An accurate answer serves you better than a flattering one.

The bigger picture on water

The Arizona Department of Water Resources' Fifth Management Plan, effective January 2025, reduced landscape water allotments substantially statewide. Surprise summers routinely run past 106 degrees and annual rainfall averages around nine inches. Keeping Bermuda alive here means irrigating daily through the hottest months against a shrinking allotment and a rising rate.

The rebate is helpful. The recurring water saving is the larger number.

The process, in order

Contact the Water Conservation Office on 623-222-6000 for pre-eligibility approval.
Do not remove anything until you have that approval in hand.
Measure the area so you know whether you clear the 500 square foot minimum.
Design the conversion — turf area, granite, ADWR-listed plants, drip irrigation. We do this at the estimate at no cost.
Install. Most residential conversions take one to two days.
Submit documentation — invoices and photographs.
Notify the city by the programme deadline to receive payment.

Does the rebate decide it?

Not on its own. At $2 per square foot capped at $2,000, the rebate covers a portion of a project running several thousand. It is real money and worth having, but the argument that carries most Surprise conversions is the water bill, plus never overseeding, mowing or fertilising again.

Full cost breakdown here.