Artificial turf in Loveland.

Loveland updated its Unified Development Code in March 2026 to line up with Senate Bill 24-005, and the change took effect March 17. On its project page the city lists what that law does not apply to: single-family residential lots, and private lots within duplex, condominium and townhome developments.

The state law, in force since January 1, 2026, bars local governments from allowing nonfunctional artificial turf in new development or redevelopment on commercial, institutional and industrial property, HOA common property, and street rights-of-way, parking lots, medians and transportation corridors. The law also lets a town allow turf installed before that date to be maintained.

The largest plats in the county’s parcel map are Barnstorm at 1,049 acres, Millennium East at 929 acres with plats recorded in 2026, and Mariana Butte, a 690-acre golf community. Boyd Lake North, Lee Farm and Twin Peaks recorded plats in 2025.

Kinston at Centerra, the McWhinney neighborhood, is planned for about 2,800 homesites across 10 metro districts. Read Kinston’s design guidelines before you plan a turf area.

Loveland runs three city courses: Mariana Butte, The Olde Course at 6,806 yards, and Cattail Creek, a nine-hole par-3 course with a practice green west of the clubhouse, by the first tee. Cattail Creek’s Mini-Course has nine holes, each with its own tee box and green, played in about 45 minutes with oversized S.N.A.G. starter clubs. It is built for full swings as well as putting, a first course for new golfers rather than a putting course.

A backyard putting green is a different project. It sits on a private lot, where the city says the state turf law does not apply, and under whatever design rules your HOA keeps.

Inside the city, a single-family home pays a $21.51 monthly base for a 0.75-inch tap and a flat $4.27 per 1,000 gallons in 2026, whatever the monthly volume.

In April 2026 the utility was at the voluntary level of its drought plan, asking customers to water no more than 3 days a week and not from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. North Loveland addresses as far south as 57th Street can be on Fort Collins-Loveland Water District instead.

Resource Central’s lawn-replacement program, which Fort Collins-Loveland and Little Thompson water districts offer, requires the replaced area to be at least half waterwise plants.

Soil surveys around central Loveland map mostly Fort Collins loam and Nunn clay loam, with sandier Paoli fine sandy loam near the water. The Loveland 2N station averages 173.9 days with a low at or below freezing, 37.7 days at or above 90°F and 47.0 inches of snow a year (1991–2020 normals).

NOAA logged 25 hail reports referenced to Loveland from 2011 through 2025, topping out at 1.75 inches on five occasions, most recently August 5, 2023.