The park strip is the grass between the sidewalk and the curb. It is the hardest grass on the lot to keep green.
It bakes off the concrete on both sides, and the sprinklers throw part of their water onto the pavement.
Nobody plays on it. It just drinks.
Utah's water programs single out park strips. Utah Water Savers lists the park strip as one of its three main project types.
Weber Basin's watering guide says it plainly: "Lawn areas for many people do not get used much and use a lot of water."
What you can do with yours depends on two sets of rules. Your water program sets the rules for rebate money.
Your city sets the rules for the strip itself.
What a rebate park strip has to look like
If you want rebate money for your strip, the strip has to be planted. Each program sets its own rules for it.
- Jordan Valley says park strips "must meet planting bed requirements." Plants need to cover half the bed when grown. Jordan Valley rules.
- Jordan Valley also caps gravel, pavers and other open hard surfaces at half the strip. They can't drain to the street. Its tree rebate skips strips under 5 feet wide.
- Central Utah wants plants to cover half the ground, "with no perennials exceeding 24 inches tall at maturity." Central Utah rules.
- Central Utah's tree rebate skips strips under 10 feet wide.
- The state program normally needs a 200 square foot project. It can make an exception when all the lawn comes out of a park strip. State rules.
- Ogden has its own Flip Your Strip deal through Weber Basin. It pays to swap strip lawn for low-water materials. It is for Ogden City homes only. Ogden Flip Your Strip.
Every one of these needs approval before the grass comes out. Not one of them pays for a turf strip. Our rebate guide quotes each program on that.
Before you count on the money
Measure the strip first. Length times width gives you square feet. Then check your program's current rate, since it depends on where you live, and it only pays if the planted strip passes the final check.
A planted strip also comes with upkeep. The drip line has to keep running for the plants, and the strip still needs weeding. Plants that die get replaced.
Where a turf park strip fits
A turf strip earns no rebate anywhere on the Wasatch Front. What it does is stop the watering for good. No spray on the sidewalk, no brown edge by August, no mowing a strip three feet wide.
Whether turf is allowed in your strip is a city question, not a rebate question. Park strip rules come from city code, and they differ from city to city.
Some cities limit what can go between the sidewalk and the curb. Some limit plant height near corners and driveways so drivers can see. Check your city's code before you plan the strip.
Check your HOA too, if you have one. Utah law stops an HOA from banning water-wise landscaping at a detached home, or making you keep grass in a strip under eight feet wide. It doesn't name artificial turf, and an HOA can still review your plan.
Three real options
- Plant it for the rebate. You get paid by the square foot. You still run drip, pull weeds and replace the odd plant.
- Turf it, if your city allows it. No rebate, no water, no mowing. It looks the same in August as in May.
- Split the yard. Plant the strip and front beds for the rebate. Put turf where the family uses the grass. See how a split yard works.
How we build a strip matters too. A strip takes foot traffic from car doors and slush thrown off the road in winter. Water runs onto it off the sidewalk.
We set a packed base and a hard edge so the turf holds its line against the concrete. We check the slope so snowmelt drains away from the walk.
Many older strips have a street tree in them. We cut the turf around the trunk and root flare, so the tree keeps getting air and water.
A turf strip still needs a little care. Rinse off the grit the winter leaves behind, and brush the blades back up where people step out of cars.
Weighing a strip in Salt Lake City or anywhere else on the Wasatch Front? Look at turf for your lawn.
Or send us your address. We'll tell you what your city and your water program allow before you pick an option.
