Loveland, CO Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Colorado Senate Bill 24-005, signed into law in 2024, prohibits local governments from allowing the installation, planting, or placement of nonfunctional turf, artificial turf, or invasive plant species on commercial, institutional, or industrial property, common-interest-community property, street right-of-way, parking lot, median, or transportation corridor, beginning January 1, 2026. Loveland implemented SB 24-005 through a March 3, 2026 Council ordinance (effective March 17, 2026) amending the Title 18 Unified Development Code. The amended UDC defines functional turf as turf in a 'recreational use area or other space that is regularly used for civic, community, or recreational purposes' — including playgrounds, sports fields, and golf course playing areas — and defines nonfunctional turf as turf that 'serves no practical purpose or provides no recreational benefit,' including street medians, parking lot islands, and decorative grass strips along sidewalks. Permitted alternatives include climate-adapted grasses (buffalo grass, blue grama), drought-tolerant plantings (succulents, ornamental grasses), and organic ground covers. The City Council expressly retained discretion under SB 24-005 to determine permissible alternative landscape materials. On private single-family residential lots not subject to a common-interest-community covenant, artificial turf is not directly prohibited by SB 24-005 or by the amended UDC, but installation may still be subject to (a) Loveland stormwater impervious-surface rules if installed over an impermeable backing, (b) HOA architectural-review guidelines under CRS 38-33.3-106.5 (which can require ARC approval), and (c) building-code rules on drainage. House Bill 25-1113 extends turf restrictions to new residential construction effective in subsequent years.