Lincoln, CA · Lawn conversion
Replace Your Lincoln Lawn With a Low-Water Yard
Lincoln's western-Placer summers run long, hot, and dry in USDA zone 9b, and a thirsty front lawn — common across Sun City Lincoln Hills, Twelve Bridges, and Lincoln Crossing — is one of the biggest water users on most properties here. Use the free planner below to sketch your yard, swap turf for low-water plants suited to the Sacramento Valley's heat and Lincoln's heavy clay soils, and get a realistic picture of the project before you spend a dollar or call anyone. GoGarden is a free planning tool that can also connect you with local pros when you're ready — we don't sell, install, or handle rebate paperwork ourselves.
Your water providerCity of Lincoln municipal water utility (bills most homes inside the city; its supply is surface water from the Placer County Water Agency and the Nevada Irrigation District, blended with local groundwater wells). Some unincorporated areas just outside the city are retail customers of the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) instead — check the provider name on your water bill, because it decides which rebate program you can use.
Which rebate you can use in Lincoln depends on who bills you. The Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) runs a Lawn Replacement Rebate for its own retail customers who convert turf to water-efficient landscaping, and it generally requires written pre-approval before you remove any grass — rebates aren't retroactive. The City of Lincoln, which bills most homes inside the city, offers conservation rebates such as discounted smart irrigation controllers and high-efficiency fixtures, but does not currently advertise a dedicated turf-removal rebate, so ask the City what's available rather than assuming a payout. Programs, rates, and funding change often, so confirm the current terms directly with whichever agency is named on your water bill before you plan around any rebate — and get written approval before removing turf.
1 Pick a look
A knee-high tapestry of native grasses and sedges threaded with seasonal flowers — the relaxed, walkable look that reads as a meadow, not a cactus garden.
2 How much lawn are you replacing?
Not sure of your square footage? Size it by shape
Measure the lawn you're removing. For an odd shape, add a couple of rectangles together.
3 Your plant plan
Clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis
2×1 ft · Sun–part shade · Evergreen
Premier no-mow lawn swap: mow short for turf or leave long for a meadow. Takes light foot traffic; wants regular water to stay green.
139 plants
Deer grass Muhlenbergia rigens
4×3.5 ft · Full sun · Evergreen
Evergreen native clump with tall arching flower spikes for a strong accent. Keep it back from the house, out of the first 5 ft.
8 plants
Common yarrow Achillea millefolium
2×1.5 ft · Full sun · Evergreen · Blooms late spring to summer
California native that knits into a soft, fern-leafy mat, staying low with white summer flower stalks. Tough and easygoing.
42 plants
Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra
2×3 ft · Sun–part shade
California's native state grass, great for erosion control and reseeds on its own. Keep it out of the first 5 ft by the house.
21 plants
California fuchsia Epilobium canum
3.5×1.5 ft · Full sun · Blooms late summer to fall
Scarlet trumpet flowers late summer to fall make it a hummingbird favorite. Cut to the ground each winter for a fresh flush.
6 plants
Foothill Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP'
2×1.5 ft · Full sun · Evergreen · Blooms spring to early summer
Electric blue-to-fuchsia tubular flowers pull in hummingbirds and native bees. The toughest, longest-lived foothill penstemon.
21 plants
Plant photos from iNaturalist contributors · CC BY / CC0. See the full plant guide →
🔥 Fire-smart placement: Deer grass, Purple needlegrass are drought-tolerant but more flammable — keep them out of the 0–5 ft strip against the house (Zone 0) and use the low-flammability plants there instead. Want a palette that's fire-safe right up to the wall? Try the look.
You're converting about 400 sq ft of lawn. Many Sacramento-area water providers pay a per-square-foot cash rebate for replacing lawn with low-water landscaping (often called Cash for Grass) — programs and rates change, so check your own provider's current offer and rules before you start.
Rebate programs usually want low-water plants covering a set share of the area and drip irrigation in place. This plan reaches roughly 100% live-plant coverage at maturity — GoGarden doesn't determine eligibility or amounts.
Want it installed?
Let a local pro know you're interested · no obligation
Plant counts use triangular on-center spacing and are planning estimates — buy a few extra for losses and confirm spacing with your nursery. Water use follows WUCOLS for the Central Valley; flammability guidance follows CAL FIRE / UC ANR; costs are 2026 retail assumptions, not quotes. Palette drawn for Sacramento (USDA zone 9b) — 48 plants and growing.
Who bills you for water in Lincoln — and how that decides your rebate
Lincoln is unusual among Placer County towns because your water bill, not the town line, decides your rebate. Most homes inside the city limits — Sun City Lincoln Hills, Twelve Bridges, Lincoln Crossing, Foskett Ranch — are served by the City of Lincoln's own municipal water utility, which buys its supply from the Placer County Water Agency (originally Nevada Irrigation District water) and blends it with local groundwater wells. The City runs several conservation rebates for its customers — discounted Rachio smart irrigation controllers, high-efficiency toilets, and clothes washers — but as of this writing it does not advertise a dedicated turf-removal or 'Cash for Grass' rebate, so don't assume a per-square-foot payout is waiting; contact the City directly and ask what's currently offered. If your address sits in an unincorporated pocket just outside the city, you may instead be a retail customer of the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA), which does run its own Lawn Replacement Rebate for turf its customers remove. The catch either way: you generally need written pre-approval before you pull out any grass — rebates aren't retroactive, and starting early can disqualify the whole project. We don't publish dollar figures here on purpose, because rates, caps, and funding change from season to season. Check the name on your water bill first, then confirm the current program with that specific agency before you plan around any rebate.
Why convert your front lawn in Lincoln
Lincoln sits on the western edge of Placer County in USDA zone 9b, where summers run long, hot, and dry and a cool-season front lawn needs the heaviest watering of the year from June through September — exactly when the valley has the least water to spare. Outdoor irrigation is usually the biggest swing in a Lincoln water bill, so trading turf for low-water plantings, mulch, and drip is the single largest lever you can pull on summer use. It also ends the weekly mow, which matters in the big master-planned communities — the Del Webb-built Sun City Lincoln Hills and the newer, family-oriented Independence at Lincoln — where tidy front yards are the norm and a browning lawn stands out. One Lincoln-specific step before you start: most of the newer master-planned neighborhoods here (Twelve Bridges, Verdera, Lincoln Crossing) have an HOA with front-yard landscape standards, and some require design review or a minimum share of living plants. Check your HOA's rules alongside your water provider's rebate terms, because a design that satisfies one can trip over the other. A well-planned conversion reads as an upgrade, not neglect — structured beds, decomposed-granite paths, and pockets of year-round color that hold up through a 100-degree Lincoln July far better than a struggling patch of fescue.
What grows well in Lincoln's clay and heat
Lincoln's identity is literally built on clay — Gladding, McBean has fired terra-cotta from local deposits here since 1875 — and that heritage shows up in a lot of yards as heavy, slow-draining clay soil. Clay holds water well but drains slowly, so the trick is choosing plants that tolerate it and watering deeply but infrequently through a slow drip. For zone 9b Lincoln, California natives and Mediterranean plants do the work: western redbud, toyon, and coffeeberry give structure and shrug off clay; clay-tolerant ceanothus like 'Ray Hartman,' plus deergrass and other native bunchgrasses, add form and movement; and California fuchsia, yarrow, coyote mint, and native buckwheat bring warm-season color for pollinators. Plants that prefer sharper drainage — manzanita, lavender, rosemary, Cleveland sage — still work here, but set them high on a mound or a slope so their roots aren't sitting in wet winter clay. On Lincoln's east side, where the land rolls up toward blue-oak foothill country, an oak-friendly, well-mulched bed feels native to the place. Whatever you choose, group plants by how much water they want, top the soil with three to four inches of mulch, and put plants in during the cool, wet season (fall through early spring) so roots establish before the first real heat. The planner below lets you test these swaps against your actual lawn footprint.
Replacing a lawn in Lincoln — FAQs
Who provides my water in Lincoln?
Most homes inside the city limits are served by the City of Lincoln's own municipal water utility, which buys treated water from the Placer County Water Agency (originally Nevada Irrigation District supply) and blends it with local groundwater. Some unincorporated areas just outside the city are retail Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) customers instead. Your rebate options depend on which one bills you, so check the provider name printed on your water bill.
Is there a lawn or turf rebate in Lincoln?
It depends on who bills you. The Placer County Water Agency runs a Lawn Replacement Rebate for its own retail customers who convert turf to low-water landscaping. The City of Lincoln, which bills most in-city homes, offers conservation rebates — discounted smart irrigation controllers, high-efficiency toilets and washers — but does not advertise a dedicated turf-removal rebate, so contact the City to confirm what's currently available. We don't quote dollar amounts here because rates, caps, and funding change often.
Do I have to get approval before removing my lawn?
For a turf-replacement rebate, almost certainly yes. PCWA's Lawn Replacement Rebate generally requires written pre-approval before you remove any grass, and rebates typically aren't retroactive — tearing out the lawn first can disqualify the project. Whatever your provider, apply and get the written go-ahead (and keep before-and-after photos) before the first shovel goes in.
What should I plant instead of grass in Lincoln?
Lean on clay-tolerant, zone 9b plants: California natives like western redbud, toyon, coffeeberry, deergrass, California fuchsia, and yarrow, plus Mediterranean plants such as lavender and rosemary. Because Lincoln soils are often heavy clay, set drainage-lovers like manzanita and lavender high on a mound, water deeply through drip, and mulch a few inches deep. Group everything by water need so nothing is over- or under-watered.
Does GoGarden install my new yard?
No. GoGarden is a free planning tool, not a landscaping contractor. We help you design the conversion, understand which water provider bills you and how their rebates work, and — if you'd like — connect you with local pros who can build it. We don't install anything ourselves or handle your rebate paperwork, and using the planner costs nothing.
Areas we serve
Serving homeowners across Sun City Lincoln Hills, Twelve Bridges, Lincoln Crossing, Verdera / Catta Verdera, Foskett Ranch, Independence at Lincoln, Downtown Lincoln and the greater Lincoln area.
Lawn conversion in nearby cities
aSaaSin Ventures LLC operates GoGarden — a free planning tool that can connect you with a local pro, not the installing contractor. Rebate programs, rates, and eligibility are set by your water provider and change often; confirm the current terms with them, and get any required written pre-approval, before removing turf. Plant and cost figures are planning estimates.