How Fort Collins Handles Landscaping Rules: A Practical Guide

Fort Collins maintains 166 local ordinances across all categories, and 8 of those deal specifically with landscaping rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Fort Collins falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Composting

Fort Collins protects a homeowner's right to keep an odor-controlled compost bin no matter what an HOA's covenants say. Municipal Code § 12-122 makes unenforceable any restrictive covenant provision that has the effect of prohibiting or limiting the installation or use of an odor-controlled compost bin, alongside the same protection for xeriscaping, roof-mounted solar and backyard clothes lines.

Key details: Governing section: Municipal Code § 12-122. Adopted: Ord. No. 83, 2003. Protected item: Odor-controlled compost bins. City permit required: None specified in § 12-122. Key qualifier: Bin must be odor-controlled.

There's no municipal fine attached to § 12-122 itself; instead, an HOA-enforced covenant clause that bans or limits odor-controlled compost bins is simply unenforceable as written. A homeowner cited or fined by an association over a compliant compost bin can point to § 12-122's "shall not create ... or enforce" language as a defense, and an association that keeps enforcing a voided provision risks its own liability under general covenant-enforcement law rather than a City citation.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Fort Collins gives residents more flexibility on composting.

Native Plants

Colorado law bars homeowner associations from blocking water-wise yards. Under C.R.S. § 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5), enacted by Senate Bill 23-178 (2023) and covering single-family detached homes in Fort Collins HOA communities, an association's design rules must allow at least 80% drought-tolerant plantings, cap mandatory hardscape at 20% of the yard, and cannot forbid backyard turf-free landscaping or vegetable gardens.

Key details: Statute: C.R.S. § 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5). Enacted by: Senate Bill 23-178 (2023). Applies to: Single-family detached homes only. Max mandatory hardscape: 20% of landscaped area. Min drought-tolerant option: 80% drought-tolerant plantings.

If an association knowingly violates these landscaping rules, the affected owner must first give written notice and 45 days to cure the violation before suing. After that, C.R.S. § 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5)(III) lets the owner bring a civil action to stop further violations and recover actual damages or a flat $500, whichever is greater.

Compared to other cities, Fort Collins takes a harder line on native plants. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Removing, cutting or pruning a tree in a Fort Collins street right-of-way, sidewalk area or other City-owned property requires a free written permit from the City Forester under Code § 27-31. Removing a tree of 15 inches or greater diameter on commercial property also triggers the permit under § 27-32.

Key details: Permit required: For any right-of-way or City-property tree work. Permit fee: Free from the City Forester. Commercial trigger: 15-inch+ diameter tree on commercial property. Arborist license fee: $105, adjusted annually to CPI (§ 27-38). Insurance minimum: $1,000,000 per occurrence (§ 27-37).

Cutting, removing or pruning a public-right-of-way tree, or a 15-inch-plus commercial tree, without the § 27-31/27-32 permit is a violation of Article II enforced through the City Forester's notice procedure in § 27-59, and constitutes a civil infraction under § 27-62 subject to the penalty in Subsection 1-15(f). An arborist working above 10 feet without the required license under § 27-34 can additionally have that license suspended or revoked following a hearing under § 27-39.

This is one of the stricter rules in Fort Collins's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Artificial Turf

Fort Collins doesn't ban artificial turf, but it also doesn't shield it from an HOA's rules the way it protects real xeriscaping. Municipal Code § 12-120 defines "Xeriscape landscaping" to exclude artificial turf outright, so the § 12-122 ban on covenants that block xeriscape never reaches synthetic grass, leaving that call to each subdivision's own covenants.

Key details: Governing sections: Municipal Code §§ 12-120, 12-122. City permit for artificial turf: None found in Chapter 12. Xeriscape definition: Excludes artificial turf and plants. Covenant protection: Applies only to real xeriscaping. HOA authority: May restrict artificial turf freely.

There's no municipal fine tied to installing artificial turf itself, since Chapter 12 doesn't regulate the material directly. The real exposure is contractual: because § 12-122's covenant override doesn't cover artificial turf, an HOA can enforce its own declaration through its normal remedies, such as fines, liens or injunctive relief, and a homeowner has no Municipal Code defense to raise against that enforcement the way they would for genuine xeriscaping.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Fort Collins gives residents more flexibility on artificial turf.

Rainwater Harvesting

Fort Collins' 2024 International Plumbing Code amendments at City Code § 5-126 delete IPC Section 1303, Nonpotable Rainwater Collection and Distribution Systems, 'in its entirety.' Unlike the neighboring graywater reuse rules in Section 1302, which the City kept and expanded, rainwater harvesting systems carry no local plumbing-code design, tank or distribution standard.

Key details: Governing rule: City Code § 5-126, item 73. Deleted provision: 2024 IPC Section 1303 (rainwater systems). Graywater comparison: IPC § 1302 kept and amended locally. Adopting ordinance: Ordinance No. 219, 2025, eff. 12-16-25. Local technical standard: None exists for rainwater collection/distribution.

Because Section 1303 itself no longer exists in the adopted code, the City cannot cite a violation of it directly. Plumbing work tied to a rainwater collection and distribution system is instead reviewed, and can be red-tagged or ordered corrected, under Article V's general plumbing permit provisions if it creates an unpermitted, unsafe or unauthorized connection to the water or sewer system.

The rules around rainwater harvesting in Fort Collins lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Tree Trimming

Fort Collins property owners must keep trees, shrubs and other woody vegetation on their land trimmed so branches clear 8 feet over a public sidewalk and 14 feet over a street or alley travel lane, per Code § 27-57. The City Forester can order noncompliant owners to cut, and unpaid work becomes a property lien.

Key details: Sidewalk clearance: At least 8 feet. Street/alley travel lane clearance: At least 14 feet. Duty holder: Property owner, to alley center line. Notice-to-comply window: Set by City Forester per notice, § 27-59. Appeal deadline: 5 days to Referee, § 27-60.

Failing to prune or remove vegetation as required by § 27-57(a)(1)-(5) is a civil infraction under § 27-62, subject to the penalty in Subsection 1-15(f), and an owner who ignores a City Forester notice under § 27-59 without appealing to the Referee within 5 days forfeits the right to contest before the City performs the work under § 27-60. Unpaid abatement costs become a lien on the property with priority over all but general taxes and prior special assessments, plus a 10 percent penalty if not paid within 30 days of billing.

Weed Ordinances

Fort Collins caps weeds and lawn grass at nine inches on any developed property under Municipal Code § 20-42, and the excess growth is declared a public nuisance. Ornamental grasses are exempt if they stay under 20% of the landscaped area, and noxious weeds designated under the Colorado Weed Law are barred at any height.

Key details: Weed/grass height limit: 9 inches, developed lots. Open area/ditch limit: 12 inches. Notice-to-comply period: 5 days before city mows. Cost recovery: Property lien, priority over most liens. Ornamental grass exception: Up to 20% of landscaped area.

Letting weeds or grass exceed nine inches is a civil infraction under § 20-45, punishable under § 1-15 by a civil penalty of up to $2,650 plus the City's abatement costs; a second violation within a rolling twelve months can be charged as a criminal misdemeanor instead, and unpaid mowing-cost assessments become a property lien collected with county property taxes.

Water Restrictions

Fort Collins bans wasting treated water on landscaping under City Code Sec. 26-166: irrigation that pools onto streets, sidewalks or storm drains is unlawful, as is a hose without a shutoff nozzle. Utilities can also order emergency cutbacks under the Water Shortage Action Plan.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Sec. 26-166. Enforcing office: Utilities Executive Director. Repair deadline after notice: At least 24 hours. Penalty basis: Civil infraction, Sec. 1-15(f). Each day: Separate offense, Sec. 26-168(e).

A violation of the water-waste rules or a shortage-response order is a civil infraction under Sec. 26-168(d), carrying the Sec. 1-15(f) penalty schedule, except that fines tied to a declared Water Shortage Action Plan restriction follow the fine schedule set in that Plan instead. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense under Sec. 26-168(e), and continued misuse can lead Utilities to disconnect water service under Sec. 26-168(f) and Sec. 26-51.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Fort Collins gives residents more room on landscaping rules. 3 of the 8 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Fort Collins's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.