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Voucher Incentives

Base Voucher Amounts

 

Equipment Type and Voucher Amounts

Equipment Type and Voucher Amounts
Equipment Type Base Voucher Amount
Edgers Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
Hedgers Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
String Trimmers Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
Chainsaws Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
Pole Saws Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
Vacuums Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
Handheld Leaf Blowers Up to $300 per tool (Bare tool or combination kit)
Backpack Leaf Blowers Up to $400 per tool
Walk-behind Mowers Up to $1,250 per tool
Ride-on/Stand-ride Mowers Up to $12,500 per tool

Eligible Batteries and Charging Equipment

Eligible Batteries and Charging Equipment
Equipment Type Voucher Amount
Batteries <700Wh Up to $1,000 per base voucher
Batteries ≥700Wh Up to $3,000 per base voucher
Charger Up to $5,000 per base voucher
Power Management Equipment Up to $5,000 total per purchaser
    • Up to $1,000 for batteries with <700Wh of energy capacity, per tool so base voucher OR up to $3,000 for batteries with ≥700Wh of energy capacity, per tool so base voucher
    • One charger up to $5,000 per tool base voucher
    • Voucher amounts are based on 70% of Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) in CORE eligible equipment catalog
    • Up to two power management devices, up to $5,000 total, per purchaser
    • Funding is capped at $25,000 per eligible purchaser
    • Equipment must be sold at no less than MSRP indicated in the CORE Eligible Equipment Catalog
    • Stacking funds must not exceed 100% of the total cost of equipment
    • Eligible equipment must be purchased from an approved CORE Dealer
    • Eligible equipment must be listed in the current CORE Eligible Equipment Catalog

Other California Incentives for Professional Landscape and Charging Equipment

Additional Funding

You can learn more about additional funding opportunities available through California Air District Zero-Emission Landscape Equipment Incentive Programs and the Carl Moyer Program.

Please note that stacking, or combining CORE funding with other public funding programs, is allowed by CORE but may be disallowed by other programs. Be sure to confirm the terms, conditions, and program requirements of each funding source when evaluating fund-stacking scenarios.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Equipment Users

I would like to purchase CORE eligible equipment; how do I apply for a voucher? Equipment users do not apply for CORE vouchers. CORE approved dealers are responsible for securing CORE voucher funding through the online Voucher Processing Center. A purchaser should connect with a CORE approved dealer to acquire their equipment, and the dealer will receive the voucher. If you have a trusted dealer relationship or already have a piece of equipment in mind, connect us with your dealer, and we can help them become CORE approved.  

What documents are required from an equipment user throughout the voucher request and redemption processes? The owner or responsible official must provide a California issued photo driver’s license or identification card and at lease one of the following supporting documents:

  • C-27 Landscape Contractors License
  • Entity number from the California Secretary of State
  • Copy of a current and valid business license
  • Business card and dealer attestation

Can I apply for more than one voucher? Yes, however funding is capped at $25,000 per eligible purchaser.

Program Basics

What is the Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE)? CORE was created to reduce price barriers, enabling users to adopt more zero-emission equipment. Created by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 2017, CORE provides point-of-sale discount vouchers that reduce the purchase cost of equipment operated in California. CORE vouchers make zero-emission equipment as affordable as their traditional fossil-fueled counterparts at the point of sale. Funded equipment includes off-road equipment used at ports, rail yards, distribution centers, freight facilities, construction sites, and agricultural industries. In addition, Senate Bill 170 appropriated $27 million to The California Air Resources Board (CARB) CORE project to provide incentives for professional landscape service equipment in California operated by a small business or sole proprietor. CARB recognizes that this equipment has the proven ability to reduce criteria and greenhouse gas (GHG) pollutants in California and aims to accelerate the penetration of this cleaner equipment to help meet state clean-air regulations and climate change goals. CORE is part of the California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that invests Cap and Trade dollars.

Download printable flyers here.

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How can I be notified of CORE news and events? Sign up for the CORE e-mail list by filling out the form today: Contact Us.

How do we know how much money is available? The ticker at the top of the home page lists how much money remains available to be requested. This reflects the real-time funds, based on the vouchers requested to date.

How do I know what equipment is eligible for CORE? All CORE-eligible equipment can be found in the CORE Catalog.

What are the base voucher amounts? Please see the Voucher Funding Table at the top of the page for information on voucher amounts.  

Is stacking allowed with other funding, grants, incentives, etc.? Stacking, or combining CORE funding with other public funding programs, is allowed by CORE but may be disallowed by other programs. Be sure to confirm the terms, conditions, and program requirements of each funding source when evaluating fund-stacking scenarios.  

You can learn more about funding opportunities available through California Air District Zero-Emission Landscape Equipment Incentive Programs and the Carl Moyer Program. 

How does the funding set aside work? To promote broad application of CORE funding, $10 million of the total funding allocation will be set aside for 180 calendar days to ensure microbusinesses have access to participate. The remaining $17 million will be set aside for small businesses.  

  • If the microbusiness funding set aside is not committed during the first 180 calendar days, it will be released to all eligible small business purchasers.  
  • If during the first 180 calendar days, the microbusiness funding set aside is oversubscribed, all voucher requests in surplus of $10 million will have access to the remaining funds, until all of the zero-emission professional landscape service funding is available. 
  • If during the first 180 calendar days the small businesses set aside is oversubscribed, voucher will be placed on a contingency list until the cap is lifted. However, there is no guarantee that funding will be available for the voucher requests on the contingency list. While contingency lists will be managed by the Project Administrator, CARB reserves the right to set additional criteria, modify, or eliminate any contingency lists.  

CARB will continue to evaluate needs in the funding set aside after the first 180 calendar days.  

What is considered a small business? A small business means an independently owned and operated business that is not dominant in its field of operation, the principal office of which is located in California, the officers of which are domiciled in California, and which, together with affiliates, has 100 or fewer employees, and average annual gross receipts of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or less over the previous three years, or is a manufacturer, as defined in subdivision (c), with 100 or fewer employees. Commencing January 1, 2019, the average annual gross receipts threshold shall be fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000). (Gov. Code § 14837(d)(1)(A)) 

Dealers and Manufacturers

I represent a dealership. How do I apply for a voucher? Dealers must be approved to submit voucher requests on behalf of purchasers. Dealers or manufacturers who sell CORE-eligible equipment should contact [email protected] to begin the approval process. Further instructions can be found here.

I am a previously approved dealer; are my credentials still valid? CORE dealer approval and credentials issued for heavy-duty equipment categories do not transfer to the professional landscape service equipment category. Dealers must reapply under the CORE Professional Landscape Service Equipment category by following the dealer application process outlined here.

What is the Manufacturer Authorization Letter? Dealers can use any form of a letter from OEMs, including a PDF of an email correspondence with the manufacturer stating that the specific dealership is authorized to sell specific equipment from the CORE catalog. Manufacturers who are also acting as dealer are exempt from submitting this letter.

I’m having trouble accessing the Voucher Processing Center, what should I do? You should reach out to [email protected]. A VPC account may be deactivated if a dealer has not logged in for more than a year. We can help you restore access.

What documents are required to be submitted by a dealer to complete the voucher request process? An approved dealer must provide the following documents:

  • Voucher Request Form submitted via the Voucher Processing Center (VPC)
  • Purchase order

What documents are required to be submitted by a dealer to complete the voucher redemption process? An approved dealer must provide the following documents:

  • Voucher Redemption Form submitted via the Voucher Processing Center (VPC)
  • Proof of payment or invoice 

What information must be included in an equipment purchase order? The purchase order must be dated on or after voucher request opening date. The purchase order must include the following items:

  • Purchaser and dealer names
  • CORE Voucher amount
  • Number of units
  • Model name and number
  • SKU of the equipment as listed on the CORE Eligible Equipment Catalog
  • Purchaser’s signature

My co-worker is CORE-eligible. Can I use their Voucher Processing Center login? No, you cannot. Individuals must be approved through the CORE Dealer Training Process to gain credentials to the Voucher Processing Center. 

Is equipment that is delivered/paid for prior to a voucher request submittal eligible for funding? No.

Are demo equipment purchases eligible for funding? No.

How does equipment become CORE-eligible?  Equipment eligibility is administered by the California Air Resources Board. If interested in submitting an equipment eligibility application, email [email protected]

Is funding available for conversion kits? Yes, conversion kits of certain equipment are eligible through CORE.

Professional Landscape Service Equipment

Stakeholders interested in CORE zero-emission landscaping equipment incentives are encouraged to review the following public workgroup meeting resources. To receive information about CORE funding updates, email [email protected] or sign up for our listserv below. 

General Questions & Inquiries

We’d love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or call CORE’s Toll-Free Hotline: 1-866-919-CORE or 1-866-919-2673. Available Mondays through Friday, 9a.m. – 5p.m. Pacific time. Se habla español.

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