Boulder, CO Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)

C. 1981, states its purpose includes minimizing the amount of water used for landscaping by promoting water conservation and irrigation efficiency. Subsection (d), 'Prior Approvals and Turf Replacement or Conversion,' turns that purpose into a concrete procedural break for property owners who already hold an approved site review or form-based code review: converting or replacing turf on that site does not require going back for a minor modification or amendment to the existing approval. Three conditions apply. First, the overall landscaped area and plant quantities on the site have to stay the same as what was originally approved.

Second, existing trees must be preserved, with one carve-out: existing juniper species are excepted from that preservation requirement, reflecting the city's wildfire-mitigation push against high-flammability junipers described elsewhere in the same section's purpose clause. Third, whatever replaces the turf, whether drought-tolerant groundcover, xeriscaping, or another turf type, has to be consistent with the Boulder Approved Tree and Plant List and the City of Boulder Landscape Manual, both of which the city manager is authorized to adopt and update as implementing rules under Subsection 9-9-12(h). This provision matters most for homes and commercial sites converting water-thirsty lawn areas to lower-water landscaping without triggering a full re-review of their original development approval, so long as they document that the swap keeps the same landscaped footprint and follows the approved plant list.