Local rules · checked November 14, 2026

Planting rules: HOA, 811 and watering

Planting trees rarely needs a permit here, but a few rules and cautions apply, and the 811 call is the law.

How this works: Denver Privacy Trees is a free referral service, not a nursery or tree planting contractor. We pass your request to independent local tree planting companies, who may pay us for the referral. They quote, schedule and do the work; check their insurance before you hire. More about us.

Colorado 811

Colorado 811 says contacting it at least three business days before you dig is the law, and the locate is free. It marks public lines only; sprinkler lines and landscape lighting cable are private and won't be marked.

Highlands Ranch (HRCA)

Under HRCA guidelines section 2.42 (adopted October 2024), ARC approval is not required to replace dead or dying landscape with the same type, or to create a bed covering no more than 20% of a front, rear or side yard that won't affect drainage. Approval is required when a plan includes retaining walls or grade changes, hardscape such as rock beds or paths, less than 50% sod in front or rear yards, seeding, synthetic turf, ColoradoScape, or a lot that adjoins open space.

The same guidelines say trees and shrubs generally should not be planted in drainage swales, that an owner may be liable for damage their trees cause a neighbor, and that "view rights" only apply where defined in a declaration or deed (section 2.87).

Other towns and HOAs

Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Parker and Centennial neighborhoods mostly have their own HOA landscaping rules. Ask your HOA for its landscape guidelines before you sign a planting quote, especially for trees near a shared fence or open space.

Nursery registration

The Colorado Department of Agriculture says anyone who sells nursery stock in Colorado must be registered, and that includes a "landscape contractor" who provides nursery stock as part of a landscaping service (Colorado Nursery Act, C.R.S. Title 35 Article 26). The department has a public search for registered nurseries.

Watering rules

In Highlands Ranch, Centennial Water bans outdoor irrigation from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May 1 to September 30, but allows hand watering of trees any time and drip or deep-root watering, per the HRCA guidelines. See watering new trees.

Related

• Privacy tree planting
• Watering and care for new trees