Landscaping Rules in Commerce City, CO (2026)
7 verified landscaping rules for Commerce City, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Commerce City requires property owners to keep tree branches trimmed to at least ten feet above any public sidewalk and fifteen feet above the travel lanes of any street or alley, under Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(5)b. The duty covers the owner's "extended property," including the adjacent right-of-way, and also bars vegetation that blocks street signs or leaves broken, hanging limbs over public space.
Commerce City Tree Branch Clearance Rule
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(5)
(5)Encroachment of vegetation on public spaces. The owner or occupant of any property shall cut, trim, prune or remove as necessary any trees and other vegetation located upon such extended property in accordance with the following requirements:a.Vegetation other than trees shall be maintained so as not to encroach upon the plane of a public sidewalk or roadway.b.Tree branch growth shall be mai...
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Any existing tree over eight inches in caliper counts as a significant tree under Commerce City's Land Development Code, and Sec. 21-7514(4)(a) requires a developer who removes one to replace it on a caliper-for-caliper basis, based on an appraisal from a qualified landscape appraiser.
Commerce City Significant Tree Removal and Replacement Rule
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Land Development Code § 21-7514(4)(a)
Sec. 21-7514. - Tree Standards. ... (4)Significant Trees. Existing significant trees (greater than eight inches in caliper) shall be preserved to the maximum extent feasible and may help satisfy the landscaping requirements set forth above. Such trees shall be considered "protected" trees within the meaning of this section, subject to the exceptions contained in subsection (c) below. ... (a)Rep...
Weed Ordinances
Commerce City caps weeds and grass at eight inches on any developed lot and on any parcel of one acre or less, under Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(1)a. The limit covers the whole "extended property," meaning the lot plus the adjacent right-of-way out to the street centerline. Code enforcement cites violations as civil infractions, and the city can mow an overgrown lot itself and bill the owner plus a fifteen percent fee.
Commerce City Weed and Grass Height Limits
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(1)a
a.The owner or occupant of any developed property and any property less than or equal to one (1) acre in size shall maintain weeds and grass to a height of no more than eight (8) inches anywhere on or within the extended property.
Water Restrictions
Commerce City doesn't set fixed watering days, but every landscape plan the city approves must build in water conservation under LDC Sec. 21-7511, and Sec. 21-7512 requires permanent automatic irrigation for all but certified xeric plantings.
Commerce City Landscape Water Conservation and Irrigation Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Land Development Code §§ 21-7511, 21-7512
Sec. 21-7511. - Water Conservation Requirement. All landscaping plans shall be designed to incorporate water conservation materials and techniques. Xeriscape landscaping is encouraged but does not include or allow artificial turf or plants, mulched (including gravel) beds or areas without landscape plant material, paving of areas not required for walkways, plazas or parking lots, bare ground, w...
Native Plants
Commerce City exempts ornamental grasses, wetlands, and native grasses or other native plant materials on the city's approved plant list from its eight-inch weed and grass height duty, under Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(1)d. A long-farmed right-of-way strip over an acre without curb, gutter or sidewalk gets the same pass. The Land Development Code separately encourages xeriscape landscaping in new development under section 21-7511.
Commerce City Native Plant Height Exemption
Few RestrictionsCommerce City Revised Municipal Code § 6-2012(b)(1)d
d.Exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the duty to maintain set forth in this subsection (b)(1) shall not apply to the following:1.Ornamental grasses;2.Wetlands;3.Native grasses and other native plant materials identified in the city's approved plant list;4.Public right of way adjacent to property that (1) has been actively farmed with commercial crops for the last three (3) years, (2) is...
Artificial Turf
Commerce City's Land Development Code flatly bans artificial turf: under § 21-7515(4), any partial or entirely synthetic material meant to simulate living turf grass is prohibited citywide, with the sole carve-out for public or private recreation fields. The companion water-conservation rule in § 21-7511 likewise refuses to count synthetic turf as compliant xeriscape.
Commerce City Bans Artificial Turf in Yards
Heavy RestrictionsCommerce City Land Development Code § 21-7515
Sec. 21-7515. - Prohibited Practices and Elements. ... (4)Artificial Turf. Partial or entirely synthetic material designed and manufactured to simulate living turf grass shall be prohibited, with the exception of public or private recreation fields.
Composting
Commerce City limits community gardens to one compost enclosure on lots of an acre or less and two on larger lots, and every enclosure must sit at least 10 feet from property lines and stay under 6 feet tall. LDC § 21-5226 sets the standard alongside the rest of the community-garden accessory-structure rules.
Commerce City Compost Enclosure Rules
Some RestrictionsCommerce City Land Development Code § 21-5226
Sec. 21-5226. - Community Gardens. (1)General Standards. ... (g)All compost materials shall be kept in an enclosure that limits the negative impacts to adjacent properties. ... (4)Accessory Structure Standards. ... (e)No more than one (1) compost enclosure shall be permitted on any property that is one acre or less in size. No more than two (2) compost enclosures shall be permitted on any prope...
Looking for Adams County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Commerce City city rules.
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