Click the link to read the article on the CBS Denver 7 website (Katie Perkins). Here’s an excerpt:
Gov. Jared Polis has signed into law a measure that would change Coloradans’ Homeowner Association rules. Around 60% of Coloradans live under a HOA, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Under the newly confirmed State Senate Bill 178, homeowners can now swap their grass lawns for alternatives like turf that require less water.
Previously, state law granted an exception for an HOA to adopt design or aesthetic guidelines that apply to “nonvegetative turf grass and drought-tolerant vegetative landscapes.” The association was allowed to regulate the type, number and placement of drought-tolerant plants installed on a homeowner’s property.
SB 23-178 states that an association’s guidelines now cannot:
- Prohibit the use of nonvegetative turf grass in the backyard of a property
- Unreasonably require the use of hardscape on more than 20% of the landscaping area of a property
- Prevent a homeowner from choosing an option that consists of at least 80% drought-tolerant plantings
- Prohibit vegetable gardens in the front, back, or side yard of a unit owner’s property