Waterwise Landscaping Project

In 2024, City Council identified Wildfire Hardening and Waterwise Landscaping Policies and Regulations as a priority for its 2024–2025 work program. This work includes reviewing city policies and regulations related to making buildings and properties more wildfire-resilient and encouraging waterwise landscaping practices, like using native plants.

While this was adopted as a single priority, the city is managing the work as two separate projects:

• Wildfire Hardening

• Waterwise Landscaping

Wildfire Hardening Progress

In May 2025, City Council adopted changes to expand the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) to include more properties (see map). Council also adopted the 2024 International WUI Code with local amendments. With this milestone complete, the city has shifted its focus to the Waterwise Landscaping project.

About the Waterwise Landscaping Project

This project brings together multiple city departments to achieve several goals:

• Increase the use of native and water-efficient plants

• Expand the urban tree canopy to reduce the urban heat island effect

• Promote wildfire-resilient landscaping by encouraging low-flammability plants and building practices

Boulder has a strong history of water conservation. Over the past 20 years, the community has voluntarily reduced water use by 30%. However, the landscaping standards in the city’s land use code have not been significantly updated since 2003.

In 2024, the Colorado Legislature passed Senate Bill 24-005, which limits certain landscaping practices to help save water (see fact sheet). Boulder’s Waterwise Landscaping project aims to align local regulations with the state bill and recent wildfire hardening updates.

What’s Being Developed

To support these goals, the city is working on the following:

• Land Use Code Changes
  Updates to the city’s landscaping and screening standards. Technical details—such as plant types, mulch and soil requirements, and minimum plant sizes—will move to a landscaping manual.

• New Landscaping Manual
  A guide for city agencies, developers, designers, homeowners, and others. It will include standards for installing, designing, maintaining, and managing landscapes and irrigation systems. Goals include reducing stormwater runoff, saving energy, storing carbon, cooling neighborhoods, and reducing wildfire risk.

• New Plant and Tree List
  A list of native, low-water, and low-flammability plants and trees recommended for landscaping in Boulder.

Share Your Feedback

You’re invited to review and provide input on the draft regulations, landscaping manual, and plant and tree list. Access the draft documents from the list of documents on this page (see right bar); and access the feedback form below or here.