Need a greener lawn mower? This rebate program may give you up to $250

Do you live in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino, including the Coachella Valley, counties? You may be eligible to receive $250 to replace your gas-powered lawn mower and garden equipment in a newly expanded rebate program. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Residential Electric Lawn & Garden Equipment Rebate Program is now expanded to give residents the opportunity to replace gas-powered tools with electric models. Before this expansion, the rebate program only covered lawn mowers. 

AQMD officials announced the rebate program now includes leaf blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws for residents in the South Coast Air Basin. Trimmers can include weed wackers, edgers, and brush cutters. 

"Using a gas-powered lawn mower for just one hour emits the same amount of pollution as a road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas," Wayne Nastri, Executive Officer at the South Coast AQMD, said in a statement. "By expanding the program, we hope more residents will make the switch to electric lawn and garden equipment, that will reduce their carbon footprint and improve air quality."

The program is offering a rebate of up to $250 per piece of equipment to help offset the cost of eligible tools from authorized retailers. Rebates are given a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of three items per person. Each rebate must be for a different equipment category. 

The equipment purchased with the rebate must be new, has to be cordless, and include a battery and charger. It also has to be specified for residential use and have a minimum one year manufacturer warranty. The destruction of old gasoline equipment at a certified scrapper is required as part of the rebate program. 

There’s certain equipment that is not eligible for this rebate program. Any cordless electric lawn and  garden equipment that is purchased as part of a bundled package, with other lawn equipment, are not eligible. Also, any refurbished or reconditioned residential electric lawn and garden equipment is not eligible as part of this program. 

According to South Coast AQMD, the existing rebate program has already achieved emission reductions in the South Coast Air Air Basin of approximately 1.4 tons per year of volatile organic compounds and 0.28 tons per year of nitrogen oxides since 2017. 

In addition to this rebate program, South Coast AQMD offers an existing Commercial Electric Lawn & Garden Equipment Incentive & Exchange Program that offers up to an 85% discount for commercial landscapers and gardeners. 
Applications for the rebate program can be submitted online. For more information about the expanded Residential Electric Lawn & Garden Equipment Rebate Program, visit www.aqmd.gov/lawnmower. For questions about the program, email [email protected] or call 888-425-6247.