Landscaping Rules in Colorado (2026)

Aurora, Colorado requires owners to trim trees on their lot to a clear height of 13 feet 6 inches over streets, alleys…

Boulder Municipal Code section 6-6-5 prohibits anyone except the city manager from spraying, mulching, fertilizing…

Boulder County does not require a permit to trim your own trees. In Wildfire Zones 1 and 2, the county requires…

Castle Rock requires all plants and trees be trimmed so they do not impair driver vision or obstruct travel on…

Centennial bans tree branches and other landscape material from hanging within 8 feet of sidewalks or 15 feet over…

City Code requires trees to be kept trimmed to at least 14 feet of clearance over streets and 8 feet of clearance over…

Denver property owners must keep trees on their land and the abutting right-of-way trimmed so branches don't block…

Fort Collins property owners must keep trees, shrubs and other woody vegetation on their land trimmed so branches clear…

Fountain requires every lot owner, lessee or occupant to remove hazardous dead or dying trees on their property and to…

Property owners must keep parkway trees clear of sidewalks (8 ft) and streets (14 ft), and must trim or remove…

Lakewood's Municipal Code sets minimum vertical clearance for trees and vegetation overhanging public ways: 8 feet…

On your own private land in unincorporated Larimer County you may trim your trees without a county permit. In Fort…

Owners of property adjacent to a Littleton public right of way must care for and trim trees so overhanging limbs clear…

Property owners in Longmont must trim or remove trees that block sight lines or fail to clear 15 feet over streets and…

Loveland property owners must keep tree branches trimmed to at least 8 feet over a public sidewalk and 14 feet over a…

Manitou Springs requires street trees along commercial, multi-household and subdivision frontages to be limbed up so…

Thornton adopted Model Traffic Code Section 114 as local law through Section 38-523: property owners must trim or…

Westminster's Director of Parks, Recreation and Libraries controls trimming, spraying, and removal of trees, shrubs…

It is unlawful to plant, prune, remove, destroy or otherwise injure a City tree without a City Forester's permit…

Removing, cutting or pruning a tree in a Fort Collins street right-of-way, sidewalk area or other City-owned property…

In Greeley, removing or trimming a tree in the parkway strip between the street and a property requires a permit from a…

Littleton requires a written city permit before removing a public or private property tree with a trunk over 4 inches…

Removing, pruning or destroying a tree or shrub on Longmont city property without an approved permit from the director…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County bars removing any tree of 2-inch caliper or larger from a property in the six months…

Arvada Land Development Code § 4-6-2-2 requires developers to replace, on a caliper-inch basis, any protected tree of 2…

Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance requires UDO-required trees lost to damage or disease within two years of…

Boulder Municipal Code section 6-6-2 lets the city manager enter private property without a warrant to inspect trees…

Centennial prohibits cutting, filling, or storing materials within the protected root zone of trees credited toward…

Denver requires a city forester permit to remove any tree from the public right-of-way or other public place, and for…

El Paso County's land code requires required parking lot trees be shielded from vehicle damage with curbs, planters, or…

Unincorporated Jefferson County has no general 'tree removal permit' for cutting a tree on your own property. In the…

Trees over 8-inch caliper on a development site in Lakewood, Colorado are 'protected' and must be preserved unless they…

Removing a tree on your own private land in unincorporated Larimer County generally needs no county permit. In Fort…

In Loveland, Colorado, a significant tree shown on a City-approved landscape plan cannot be removed without City…

Cutting, pruning or removing any tree or shrub in a Manitou Springs street right-of-way or on other city property…

Pueblo prohibits "topping" trees and requires 15 feet of clearance over roadways and 8 feet over sidewalks for any tree…

Thornton does not require a homeowner permit to remove a healthy tree, but the city forester can order removal of any…

Westminster requires property owners, occupants, or agents to remove dead trees or dead, overhanging boughs that…

Colorado's Noxious Weed Act, C.R.S. § 35-5.5-104, makes it the duty of every landowner to use integrated management on…

Unincorporated Adams County caps weeds and uncultivated plant growth at 6 inches under Section 302.4 of its Property…

Development landscaping in unincorporated Arapahoe County must use weed-free seed, gravel or fill dirt, and any plant…

Arvada caps weeds and dead plant growth at 12 inches on every property under Section 18-492, and bans noxious weeds…

Aurora prohibits noxious weeds and overgrown vegetation over 6 inches on developed properties. State-listed noxious…

Boulder Revised Code § 6-2-3(a) caps state-listed noxious weeds on any lot, occupied or not, at twelve inches, and…

On residential lots of 2.5 acres or less, brush, shrubs, grasses, and weeds must generally be kept under nine inches…

Castle Rock caps weed and grass height at 12 inches. Under Municipal Code 8.12.030, properties may not be overgrown…

Centennial caps weeds and grass at eight inches; violators get a written notice and seven days to cut before the City…

Colorado Springs City Code Part 3 (Weeds) controls weed growth that becomes a fire hazard, a traffic and pedestrian…

Denver requires owners and lessees to keep private property and the abutting right-of-way clear of unattended…

El Paso County requires a noxious weed management plan for any development application on land flagged on the county's…

Fort Collins caps weeds and lawn grass at nine inches on any developed property under Municipal Code § 20-42, and the…

Fountain bars any lot owner, lessee or occupant from letting weeds or herbaceous grasses grow past nine inches, on the…

Every owner, tenant or agent of property in Greeley must keep weeds from growing on their lot, the abutting sidewalk…

Every landowner in unincorporated Jefferson County has a legal duty to manage noxious weeds. State law (CRS…

Lakewood caps weeds and grass at six inches on any lot with a habitable structure and 12 inches on vacant or…

Colorado's Noxious Weed Act makes every landowner responsible for managing noxious weeds that could damage neighboring…

Littleton caps weeds, grasses and herbaceous plants at 8 inches on any lot in the city. City Code Section 7-4-4…

Longmont bans weeds and unsightly vegetation over 12 inches tall on any lot, including the strip abutting the public…

Loveland caps ordinary weeds and grass at eight inches on every lot in the city, with noxious weeds under the state…

Manitou Springs requires property owners to cut grass once it exceeds nine inches and remove the cuttings, under…

Pueblo landowners must cut, destroy, or remove weeds, grass, brush, or other rank vegetation once it exceeds ten inches…

Thornton bars property owners and lessees from letting weeds and brush grow past eight inches, with limited exceptions…

Unincorporated Weld County has no general grass-height limit, but its Noxious Weed Management Enforcement Policy…

Westminster bans weeds taller than 12 inches and turf or grass over six inches on any premises, including the strip…

Arvada bans wasting water under Sec. 102-106: no runoff from irrigation onto streets or sidewalks, no leaking sprinkler…

Boulder lets the city manager declare a drought alert stage and then impose drought response measures, including…

During a declared drought or water shortage emergency, Westminster's City Manager can limit lawn watering to specific…

There is no single county watering rule; limits are set by your water provider. In the South Adams County Water and…

Arapahoe County's Land Development Code limits when automatic sprinklers can run on new and redeveloped landscaping in…

Aurora, Colorado doesn't fix watering days in the Code itself: schedules come from rules Aurora Water's general manager…

Castle Rock Water restricts residential lawn irrigation to every third day, before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., from May 1…

Colorado Springs has permanent year-round watering rules: sprinkler irrigation is limited to any three days per week of…

Denver makes it a citywide offense to use water in violation of the Board of Water Commissioners' rules, and any such…

Colorado has no statewide homeowner watering ban; your water provider sets the schedule. Castle Rock Water allows…

Fort Collins bans wasting treated water on landscaping under City Code Sec. 26-166: irrigation that pools onto streets…

Greeley limits sprinkling to specific days and hours tied to address parity and the city's declared drought level…

Littleton requires new landscape plans to follow xeriscape design principles that minimize high-water turf, group…

Longmont's public works director can impose nonemergency watering schedules for lawns and gardens citywide, backed by…

Loveland caps outdoor sprinkling flow, requires a permit for underground sprinkler systems, and lets the city manager…

When the city declares a water shortage, Manitou Springs cuts outdoor watering to specific days by address parity and…

Pueblo's water utility code bars letting lawn or garden sprinkling waste water or run off onto neighboring property…

From April 1 through October 31, Thornton limits turf watering to three days a week chosen by the customer, with no…

Colorado law universally permits residential rooftop rainwater collection up to two rain barrels totaling 110 gallons…

Colorado law lets Castle Rock residents collect rooftop rainwater in up to two rain barrels holding a combined 110…

Colorado law lets a single-family or small multi-family household collect rooftop rainwater in up to two rain barrels…

Colorado law lets residents collect rooftop rainwater in up to two rain barrels holding a combined 110 gallons or less…

Littleton permits single-family homeowners to install rainwater capture and reuse devices, cisterns, rain filters and…

Fort Collins' 2024 International Plumbing Code amendments at City Code § 5-126 delete IPC Section 1303, Nonpotable…

Colorado law bars homeowner associations from blocking water-wise yards. Under C.R.S. § 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5), enacted…

New development and redevelopment in Aurora, Colorado must draw at least 75% of trees and annuals, and 100% of shrubs…

Colorado encourages xeriscape and native landscaping, and state law bars HOAs from banning xeriscape or…

Colorado protects water-wise landscaping. Under CRS 38-33.3-106.5, an HOA may not prohibit xeriscape or…

New Lakewood homes and additions over 20 percent of the existing home must include drought-tolerant landscaping using…

Littleton's Unified Land Use Code requires landscape plans in the MFR, NC, CM, BC and IP districts to prioritize native…

Longmont's land development code requires that at least 75 percent of every landscaped area be covered in…

New development landscaping in Mesa County's Urban Zoning Districts must favor drought-tolerant, native vegetation. The…

New development inside Weld County's I-25 Overlay District must maximize native plants in its landscaping: Section…

Arapahoe County encourages xeriscape and native plant landscaping. Colorado HB 19-1050 and SB 23-178 prohibit HOAs from…

Arvada may encourage or require native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Some areas restrict traditional grass lawns in…

Colorado Springs encourages native-plant landscaping through Colorado Springs Utilities Water Wise rebates, typically 1…

El Paso County encourages xeriscaping and native plant landscaping for water conservation in Colorado's semi-arid Front…

Greeley's development code allows and actively encourages drought-tolerant, native and xeric plantings in landscape…

Pueblo's landscape performance standard encourages using native, drought-resistant nursery stock in required plantings…

Thornton may encourage or require native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Some areas restrict traditional grass lawns…

Westminster may encourage or require native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Some areas restrict traditional grass…

Arvada Land Development Code § 4-6-7-2 bars artificial turf as permanent ground cover in landscaped areas except in…

Artificial turf counts as landscape material in unincorporated El Paso County only on a case-by-case basis, not as a…

Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance allows artificial turf in front and back yards, but front-yard turf on…

Centennial limits artificial turf to civic, community, and recreational spaces like playgrounds, sports fields, and…

Greeley's landscape code allows artificial turf only as ground cover in areas not visible from streets or public…

Jefferson County has no general county ban on residential artificial turf; check your HOA and city. Colorado's…

Littleton allows artificial turf in residential landscaping only with the Director's approval after review of product…

Loveland's Unified Development Code bans nonfunctional artificial turfgrass on commercial, industrial, institutional…

Fort Collins doesn't ban artificial turf, but it also doesn't shield it from an HOA's rules the way it protects real…

Unincorporated Arapahoe County permits artificial turf on residential property without a permit when installed at…

Colorado Springs permits artificial turf as a residential landscaping option under general zoning and does not require…

Westminster generally permits artificial turf installation with some requirements for drainage, appearance, and base…

Denver folds compost material into its curbside trash service for single-family homes and small residential buildings…

Lakewood does not ban backyard composting, but Municipal Code Section 9.80.170(A) makes it a nuisance to maintain a…

Boulder lets any resident keep a compost pile as long as it sits in a segregated area with alternating layers of plant…

Colorado Springs City Code Sec. 6.4.104(D)-(E) protects backyard composting as a right, but bans compost piles that…

Fort Collins protects a homeowner's right to keep an odor-controlled compost bin no matter what an HOA's covenants say…

Loveland allows occupants of one-unit or duplex homes to keep a backyard compost pile of layered plant refuse and soil…

Arvada exempts composting, defined as mixing shredded, decayed organic matter with dirt or earth to fertilize and…

El Paso County's Land Development Code regulates commercial and industrial composting facilities but expressly exempts…