Landscaping Rules in Boulder, CO (2026)
5 verified landscaping rules for Boulder, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Boulder Municipal Code section 6-6-5 prohibits anyone except the city manager from spraying, mulching, fertilizing, cutting, or pruning any living plant on city property without first getting the manager's permission, and even authorized pruning crews must work exactly the way the manager prescribes. The rule reaches street trees and other city-owned vegetation citywide.
Boulder Requires Permission to Prune Public Trees
Some RestrictionsBoulder Municipal Code § 6-6-5(a), (b)
6-6-5. - Spraying and Pruning.(a)No person except the city manager shall spray, mulch, fertilize, or otherwise treat, remove, destroy, break, cut or prune any living plant or any part thereof growing on city property without first having obtained permission from the manager.(b)No person authorized by the city manager to cut or prune a plant on city property shall do so except in the manner pres...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Boulder Municipal Code section 6-6-2 lets the city manager enter private property without a warrant to inspect trees and order removal of dead trees or overhanging limbs that endanger people or property. Owners get fifteen days' notice to fix the hazard before the city can step in and bill the corrective work to them.
Boulder Can Order Removal of Dangerous Trees
Some RestrictionsBoulder Municipal Code § 6-6-2(b)
(b)If the city manager finds that there exist on any private property in the city dead trees or overhanging limbs that pose a danger to persons or property, the manager will notify the owner, lessee, agent, occupant, or other person in possession or control of the property upon which the condition exists of the duty to remedy the condition within fifteen days from the date of the notice or such...
Weed Ordinances
Boulder Revised Code § 6-2-3(a) caps state-listed noxious weeds on any lot, occupied or not, at twelve inches, and requires Colorado Department of Agriculture List A species to be eradicated regardless of height. The city manager enforces the limit with an escalating civil penalty schedule after notice and a hearing.
Boulder's 12-Inch Weed Height Limit
Some RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 6-2-3(a)-(b)
(a)No owner, lessee, agent, occupant, or person in possession or control of any occupied or unoccupied lot or tract of land or any part thereof in the city shall permit or maintain on any such lot or tract of land or along the sidewalk, street, or alley adjacent thereto any growth of state-listed noxious weeds to a height greater than twelve inches. All Colorado Department of Agriculture List A...
Water Restrictions
Boulder lets the city manager declare a drought alert stage and then impose drought response measures, including watering and new-landscape-irrigation restrictions, under City Code Sections 11-1-48 and 11-1-49. Customers who violate the imposed restrictions face escalating water waste charges of up to $300, water service suspension, and municipal court prosecution.
Boulder's Drought Watering Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code § 11-1-49(a),(d)(5)
11-1-49. - Drought Response Measures. (a)The city manager will implement the drought response measures under this chapter whenever in the city manager's reasonable judgment such measures are necessary to maintain, conserve, replenish or protect the water supply of the city. The manager will determine the extent and duration of any drought response measures implemented. (d)After declaring a drou...
Composting
Boulder lets any resident keep a compost pile as long as it sits in a segregated area with alternating layers of plant material meant to decompose into a soil conditioner. The person maintaining it must keep it from becoming a nuisance through putrid odors or by attracting wildlife or pests. Section 6-3-6 governs the practice.
Boulder's Backyard Compost Pile Rules
Light RestrictionsBoulder Revised Code (B.R.C.) 1981 § 6-3-6
(a)Any person may maintain compost piles. Such compost piles shall be in a segregated area and shall contain alternate layers of plant materials maintained to facilitate decomposition and produce organic material to be used as a soil conditioner.(b)No person who maintains a compost pile shall fail to prevent it from becoming a nuisance due to putrid odors or attraction of wildlife or pests, inc...
Looking for Boulder County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Boulder city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Boulder County →