Broomfield's Landscape Code Update responds to a series of state laws enacted over the past several years that signal a broad statewide emphasis on water conservation. Its key function is to bring Broomfield’s definitions and terminology into alignment with the state’s official language. While these updates improve clarity and consistency, the underlying approach remains the same: Broomfield’s existing landscape code already limits turf grass and aligns with the intent of the legislation.
Project Overview
The progression of state legislation shows a clear and expanding strategy:
• State Bill 24-005 (2024): This law significantly broadened the scope, banning nonfunctional turf in new commercial, public, and industrial properties.
• House Bill 25-1113 (effective 2028): The latest move extends the turf ban to new multi-unit housing properties with more than 12 dwelling units, bringing the restrictions into the residential sector.
Taken together, these laws demonstrate a comprehensive state-level strategy to fundamentally change how water is used in all future development across Colorado.
The main purpose of this update is to align Broomfield's local definitions and terminology with the state's new official language. This ensures consistency and clarifies the rules, but the core philosophy was already in place. Broomfield’s current landscape code is already restrictive on the use of turf grass and meets the intent of the legislation.
Residents concerned about their own lawns can be assured that this ban does not apply to those areas. The new regulations do not impact landscaping for single-unit residential properties, including both attached and detached homes.
The "when" and "where" of these rules are specific. They apply only to new development or to significant redevelopments where more than 50% of the existing landscape is being changed.
Furthermore, it's important to distinguish between the ban on nonfunctional natural turf and the specific rules for artificial turf. The state and city still permit artificial turf in a few key areas:
• Athletic fields of play
• Backyards of single-unit residential lots
• Dog parks (when specifically designed for that use)
The regulatory framework is built around new state definitions that distinguish between turf people actively use and turf that is only decorative. The goal is not to eliminate all lawns, but to remove high water use turf in areas where it serves no practical purpose.
Here are the simple definitions at the core of the law:
• Functional Turf: This is grass in areas that people actually use for civic or recreational purposes. Think of places like playgrounds, sports fields, picnic grounds, amphitheaters, and the playing areas of golf courses, such as driving ranges, fairways, and greens.
• Nonfunctional Turf: This is the purely ornamental grass found in areas that are not used for recreation. This includes turf located in street right-of-ways, parking lots, and medians.
In addition, the following definitions are also being included in the update:
• Native Seed Mix as Turf Alternative: This mix is for areas that still need a green, lawn-like cover. It uses low-growing, durable species selected for aesthetics—like a uniform look and green cover—that can also tolerate mowing or light traffic.
• Native Seed Mix for Native Areas: This mix is for creating natural habitats. It uses taller grasses and diverse flowers to support pollinators and wildlife, and it "emphasizes ecological resilience rather than uniform appearance."
While this is a minor administrative update for Broomfield, it connects the city to a major statewide shift in how Colorado approaches water, development, and the natural environment.
Public Engagement
You can engage with this project using the Questions and Comments tabs below, or by emailing landscape@broomfield.org.
Staff have spoken about these upcoming changes with developers and designers during early project meetings for 2026 applications. We have not received any specific concerns or feedback, likely because the updates are small and limited in scope.
As this update is considered minor and administrative, staff did not conduct a community meeting, direct mailings, or social media outreach. A public hearing will take place during the second reading of the Ordinance, and any emailed public comments will be added to the correspondence folder for this agenda item.
Broomfield's Landscape Code Update responds to a series of state laws enacted over the past several years that signal a broad statewide emphasis on water conservation. Its key function is to bring Broomfield’s definitions and terminology into alignment with the state’s official language. While these updates improve clarity and consistency, the underlying approach remains the same: Broomfield’s existing landscape code already limits turf grass and aligns with the intent of the legislation.
Project Overview
The progression of state legislation shows a clear and expanding strategy:
• State Bill 24-005 (2024): This law significantly broadened the scope, banning nonfunctional turf in new commercial, public, and industrial properties.
• House Bill 25-1113 (effective 2028): The latest move extends the turf ban to new multi-unit housing properties with more than 12 dwelling units, bringing the restrictions into the residential sector.
Taken together, these laws demonstrate a comprehensive state-level strategy to fundamentally change how water is used in all future development across Colorado.
The main purpose of this update is to align Broomfield's local definitions and terminology with the state's new official language. This ensures consistency and clarifies the rules, but the core philosophy was already in place. Broomfield’s current landscape code is already restrictive on the use of turf grass and meets the intent of the legislation.
Residents concerned about their own lawns can be assured that this ban does not apply to those areas. The new regulations do not impact landscaping for single-unit residential properties, including both attached and detached homes.
The "when" and "where" of these rules are specific. They apply only to new development or to significant redevelopments where more than 50% of the existing landscape is being changed.
Furthermore, it's important to distinguish between the ban on nonfunctional natural turf and the specific rules for artificial turf. The state and city still permit artificial turf in a few key areas:
• Athletic fields of play
• Backyards of single-unit residential lots
• Dog parks (when specifically designed for that use)
The regulatory framework is built around new state definitions that distinguish between turf people actively use and turf that is only decorative. The goal is not to eliminate all lawns, but to remove high water use turf in areas where it serves no practical purpose.
Here are the simple definitions at the core of the law:
• Functional Turf: This is grass in areas that people actually use for civic or recreational purposes. Think of places like playgrounds, sports fields, picnic grounds, amphitheaters, and the playing areas of golf courses, such as driving ranges, fairways, and greens.
• Nonfunctional Turf: This is the purely ornamental grass found in areas that are not used for recreation. This includes turf located in street right-of-ways, parking lots, and medians.
In addition, the following definitions are also being included in the update:
• Native Seed Mix as Turf Alternative: This mix is for areas that still need a green, lawn-like cover. It uses low-growing, durable species selected for aesthetics—like a uniform look and green cover—that can also tolerate mowing or light traffic.
• Native Seed Mix for Native Areas: This mix is for creating natural habitats. It uses taller grasses and diverse flowers to support pollinators and wildlife, and it "emphasizes ecological resilience rather than uniform appearance."
While this is a minor administrative update for Broomfield, it connects the city to a major statewide shift in how Colorado approaches water, development, and the natural environment.
Public Engagement
You can engage with this project using the Questions and Comments tabs below, or by emailing landscape@broomfield.org.
Staff have spoken about these upcoming changes with developers and designers during early project meetings for 2026 applications. We have not received any specific concerns or feedback, likely because the updates are small and limited in scope.
As this update is considered minor and administrative, staff did not conduct a community meeting, direct mailings, or social media outreach. A public hearing will take place during the second reading of the Ordinance, and any emailed public comments will be added to the correspondence folder for this agenda item.
