Colorado HOAs can review backyard turf on a detached home, but can’t ban it

01Can my HOA stop me from installing artificial turf?

It depends on where the turf goes and what kind of home you own.

• Detached single-family home, backyard: no. An HOA’s landscaping rules may not prohibit artificial turf (the statute calls it “nonvegetative turf grass”) in the backyard, though the HOA can still adopt and enforce design and aesthetic guidelines (C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5), from SB23-178). Colorado first protected backyard turf this way in 2021, through HB21-1229.
• Covenants and special districts: a covenant, HOA rule or special-district rule that prohibits artificial turf in the backyard of a residential property is unenforceable, except for attached homes and timeshare associations (C.R.S. 37-60-126(11)(a.5)).
• Attached home that shares a wall, such as a townhome: the HOA may restrict artificial turf to rear yard locations only (C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i)(I)(A)).
• Front yards: not protected. The law does require each HOA to preapprove at least 3 water-wise garden designs for front yards, but those are planting designs, not a right to turf.
• Condominiums: the detached-home protection does not cover them. The covenant rule in C.R.S. 37-60-126(11)(a.5) does not list condominiums among its exceptions, but how it applies to a condo’s yard, often a common element, is untested; ask an attorney.

02What can my HOA still require?

• Design and aesthetic guidelines, applied through its normal architectural review.
• Safety and drainage. The protections carve out bona fide safety requirements, fire buffers, and changes to existing grading, drainage or structural landscape elements. That is why your packet should show the base and drainage plan, and say plainly whether the lot’s grading changes.
• Its own process: the application form, what it asks you to submit, and its review timeline.

Common areas are different. Since January 1, 2026, a local government may not install or allow nonfunctional artificial turf on HOA common property in new development or redevelopment (SB24-005, as amended by HB25-1113). State law still allows functional turf, such as a playground, sports field or putting and chipping green, though it lets a town be stricter. A town may also let turf installed before 2026 be maintained.

03Does a metro district review turf too?

Often. Many newer Northern Colorado neighborhoods are run by a metro district, alone or alongside an HOA, and some districts review yard plans the way an HOA does. Timnath Ranch’s district, for example, charges a $150 fee to review a landscape application (Timnath Ranch Metropolitan District).

Colorado law also makes a special district’s rule that prohibits artificial turf in a backyard unenforceable, except on attached homes. Whether that reaches your metro district is a question for the district or a lawyer. Either way, submit to the district the same way you would to an HOA, with the same packet.

04What goes in an ARC packet for artificial turf?

1. Your HOA’s application form and landscape guidelines. Read them first: they set what the committee checks.
2. A layout drawing: where the turf goes, with dimensions and square footage; what stays planted; the borders; and distances to the house, fences and trees.
3. The product specification sheet: manufacturer and product name, pile height, face weight, color, backing and drainage rate, infill, and the product’s PFAS documentation. Colorado has barred installing artificial turf with intentionally added PFAS since January 1, 2026 (SB24-081).
4. A base and drainage section: how deep the excavation goes, the base material and how it is compacted, and where water drains. The Colorado Geological Survey lists poor surface drainage near foundations among the landscaping problems on expansive soils (CGS).
5. The edging detail: what holds the turf’s edge against beds, concrete and fences.
6. Photos of the area today.
7. Sprinkler changes: which zones are capped or rerouted.
8. The installer’s name and contact, and a schedule. Some HOAs also ask for a certificate of insurance.

In Firestone the town’s own rules apply on top of the HOA’s: a town permit comes first (no fee for single-family homes), and the product needs a 1.75 to 3 inch pile, at least 70 ounces of face weight, a compacted porous aggregate base at least 3 inches deep, and no crumb rubber (Firestone Development Code 16.6.4). Other towns’ rules are in our guide to artificial turf rules in Northern Colorado.

05What should my letter to the committee say?

Copy this, fill in the brackets, and send it with the packet. It is a starting point, not legal advice.

06What if the HOA says no?

Ask for the reason in writing; a denial over design details can often be fixed by changing the product, the layout or the edging. If the HOA refuses turf in a detached home’s backyard outright, the statute sets out the next step: the homeowner gives the association written notice of the violation and 45 days after receiving it to cure. If the association knowingly violated these protections, the homeowner may then sue to stop the violation and recover up to $500 or actual damages, whichever is greater (C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5(1)(i.5)(III)–(IV)).

Talk to a Colorado attorney before you send a notice. A notice might look like this:

07Where can I get help?

The Colorado Division of Real Estate’s HOA Information and Resource Center serves as a resource for homeowners to understand their basic rights and responsibilities under the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act. It also registers HOAs and tracks complaints. For a dispute, talk to a Colorado attorney.

08Is this legal advice?

No. This page explains Colorado statutes as they read on September 24, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice.