Fort Collins, CO Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Municipal Code §§ 12-120, 12-122
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 83, 2003
- Protected activity
- Installing/using Xeriscape landscaping
- Void covenant type
- Mandatory turf-grass requirements
- Qualifying design
- Must meet 7 xeriscape principles
- Excluded from protection
- Artificial turf, gravel, bare ground
Summary
Fort Collins guarantees homeowners the right to replace a turf-grass lawn with xeriscaping. Municipal Code § 12-122 voids any restrictive covenant clause that requires part of a lot to be planted in turf grass or that blocks installing xeriscape landscaping as defined in § 12-120, so an HOA can't force a homeowner to keep bluegrass instead of a water-wise design.
Xeriscape landscaping shall mean landscaping planned, designed installed and maintained so as to create a landscape that is sustainable in Colorado's semiarid climate, based on seven (7) basic principles... (6) Limiting the use of turf and plantings with high water requirements, with consideration of visibility and functional needs, and incorporating water-efficient alternative species, specifically including, but not limited to, water-wise turfgrasses, as defined in § 20-41... No person shall create, cause to be created, enforce or seek to enforce any provision contained in any restrictive covenant which has the effect of prohibiting or limiting the installation or use of Xeriscape landscaping... or which has the effect of requiring that a portion of any individual lot be planted in turf grass.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 155 | Transitional Land Use Code (for project before May 17, 2024): Supplement 61 | Traffic Code: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Section 12-122, part of Chapter 12's Resource Conservation article, targets two mirror-image problems for anyone tearing out turf: a covenant that bans xeriscaping outright, and a covenant that affirmatively requires turf grass on part of the lot. " To count as protected xeriscaping rather than an ordinary yard change, the replacement landscape has to follow the seven principles set out in § 12-120: a landscape plan showing water needs, soil improvements matched to the site, efficient watering systems, plants grouped by light and water needs, mulch to cut evaporation and weeds, limiting high-water turf and plantings in favor of water-efficient alternatives including water-wise turfgrasses defined at § 20-41, and ongoing maintenance to keep the design healthy.
The definition specifically excludes shortcuts: artificial turf, mulch-only or gravel beds with no plant material, excess paving, bare dirt, and weed-infested surfaces don't qualify, so a lawn simply torn out and left as gravel or turned into synthetic turf isn't shielded by § 12-122 even though it saves water. The ordinance has been on the books since 2003 under Ord. No. 83, 2003, and was amended in 2011 to add the reference to water-wise turfgrasses.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 12 doesn't set a City fine for a covenant that violates § 12-122; the section works by declaring the offending covenant clause unenforceable rather than by punishing the HOA. A homeowner facing an association trying to enforce a turf-grass mandate or a xeriscape ban can raise § 12-122 as a defense or seek a court declaration that the covenant provision is void, since the statute states the restriction "shall not" be created or enforced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my Fort Collins HOA require me to keep a grass lawn?
What has to be true for my new landscape to count as protected xeriscaping?
Does § 12-122 stop my HOA from having any landscaping rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
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