Littleton, CO Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

B(A)(5), Artificial Turf, treats synthetic grass as a conditional use rather than a routine landscaping choice. A homeowner or applicant proposing artificial turf as part of a residential landscaping plan must submit product samples and manufacturer's specifications to the Director, and the Director's approval is required before it can be installed, meaning there is no by-right path to synthetic lawn even on a single-family lot. On nonresidential property, the code removes the option entirely: installation of artificial turf is expressly prohibited, with no approval pathway available.

This sits alongside a related nonliving-materials rule in the same Plant Materials Standards that caps decorative or patterned concrete, brick pavers, wood chips and decorative rock at no more than 25 percent of the total required landscaped area, and separately bans artificial trees, shrubs and plants outright. Read together, the code treats a living, plant-based landscape as the default for every property in the city, tolerating synthetic turf only as a reviewed exception for homes and never for commercial, office or industrial sites. The subsection was last amended by Ordinance No. 20, Series of 2023, and Ordinance No. 10, Series of 2025, effective June 12, 2025.