Utah Water Savers

Summary

Utah Water Savers is the application portal for publicly funded water-conservation incentives in Utah. It lets a property owner identify available programs by location and apply for help replacing lawn, installing a qualifying smart irrigation controller, or replacing an older toilet. Landscape offerings and payment rates vary by community; the controller and toilet rebates are available to residential properties statewide.

The portal began with Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District in 2017 and expanded through the Utah Division of Water Resources and regional water districts. The Division reported that 2024 landscape conversions replaced three million square feet of lawn and are expected to save more than 100 million gallons annually. Its January 2026 legislative update said 65% of Utah residents were then eligible for the Landscape Incentive Program.

Who It's For

• Utah residents seeking rebates for WaterSense-labeled smart irrigation controllers or for replacing qualifying pre-1994 toilets.
• Owners of residential or commercial property in an eligible community who want to replace living, maintained lawn with water-efficient landscaping.
• Municipal officials in communities that are not yet eligible. Landscape incentives become available after a city or county adopts the Division of Water Resources' qualifying water-efficiency standards for new development.

How To Use It

Start at the rebate finder, enter the property's city or county, and review the local programs and requirements before buying equipment or changing the landscape. Create a Utah Water Savers account, add the property so the portal can identify its water provider, and submit the applicable program application.

For a landscape conversion, do not remove or kill the lawn before approval and a site visit; doing so disqualifies the project. The existing lawn must be living and maintained. The application requires current-yard photos and a property-specific landscape plan. Current statewide rules require the replacement design to reach at least 50% perennial plant coverage at maturity and use approved drip irrigation rather than simply replacing grass with rock or artificial turf. After approval, complete the work, schedule the final inspection, and submit the required agreement and tax form.

Current headline incentives are location-dependent and should be checked in the finder: lawn replacement is advertised at $1.50–$3 per square foot, drip conversion at $0.50–$1 per square foot, tree incentives at $50–$100 per tree, smart controllers at up to $100, and qualifying toilet replacement at up to $150. These amounts can change and availability depends on funding.

Open Questions

• Which rebates and payment rates are available for a particular address today? The live finder is authoritative because local funding and program rules differ.
• How much of the reported water saving persists over multiple years after a landscape conversion? The Division's published figure is an annual estimate, not a longitudinal evaluation.
• When will the remaining Utah communities adopt qualifying landscape ordinances? The state list is updated as local ordinances change.

Evidence

• Utah Water Savers official portal · https://www.utahwatersavers.com/
• Slow the Flow rebate finder · https://slowtheflow.org/rebates/
• Utah Division of Water Resources: Landscape Incentive Program · https://conservewater.utah.gov/landscape-rebates/
• Utah Division of Water Resources: 2024 landscape-conversion results · https://water.utah.gov/residents-of-utah-saved-over-100-million-gallons-of-water-through-landscape-conversions-in-2024/
• Utah Division of Water Resources: 2026 legislative update · https://water.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026-Division-Legislative-Update.pdf