Utah offers up to $200 for residents to switch to electric yard tools

Utah residents from Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber counties can receive up to $200 to power up their yards and replace gas-powered yard equipment with electric versions. Photo: Daniel Watson.

UTAH—Utahns in Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber counties can get up to $200 to replace gas-powered lawn equipment with electric alternatives through a limited-time program launching Monday.

The Charge Your Yard program opens its application window on Monday, March 24, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., offering incentives on a first-come, first-served basis until funds run out. Residents of Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele and Weber counties are eligible.

Approved applicants can receive a $200 voucher for an electric string trimmer or leaf blower if they recycle a gas-powered equivalent. Those who do not recycle can receive $100. Participants must attend a Charge Your Yard event to receive the voucher, recycle old equipment and purchase new tools. The events will be held between March 3 and April 3, 2025.

Program organizers say the goal is to reduce air pollution from small gas engines, which produce a disproportionate amount of emissions.

Gas-powered lawn equipment contributes about 8 tons per day of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions along the Northern Wasatch Front. By comparison, all industrial sources in the area contribute 6 tons per day. According to state air quality data, running a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour emits as much pollution as driving a car 727 miles.

“Reducing any VOC emissions helps with reducing ground-level ozone,” said Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality. “In the long run, switching to electric motors in yard equipment can help reduce the Salt Lake smog, especially in the summertime. Other immediate benefits are significantly quieter engines and no smoke emissions.”

Lisa Burr, grants and incentive section manager for the Division of Air Quality, said the program is designed to reach communities most impacted by poor air quality.

“Making this program accessible to communities that struggle with air pollution is a priority for us,” Burr said. “Holding these in-person events at retail locations during the spring season when residents are shopping for yard care equipment provides opportunities to educate folks about the harmful emissions that come from gas-powered yard equipment and incentivize them to have a positive impact on air quality.”

More information and a link to apply are available on the Charge Your Yard website.