--- title: "Pet Turf and Dog Runs in the Denver Metro | TIMELESS Grass & Greens" description: "Turf dog runs in Highlands Ranch, Sterling Ranch and Ken Caryl: where your HOA wants the run, water kept off the clay by the house, and rinsing in a drought." url: https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/pet-turf/ --- Denver Metro # Pet turf in the Denver Metro, planned for where your HOA puts the run. Highlands Ranch and Sterling Ranch want the dog run against the house, right where clay soil needs water kept away. We check your ground at a free visit. - A base built for the clay at your address - A custom layout of the run to approve before work starts - A walkthrough of pickup, rinsing and care [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) - Layout approved before installation - American-made turf - Free estimates, no pressure The short answer ## Where can a turf dog run go in a Denver-area HOA? Where your community's rules put it, often against the house. Highlands Ranch and Sterling Ranch want the run abutting the house; Ken Caryl wants its fence attached to your perimeter fence or house. None lists turf as the run's surface, so ask first. Planning a turf installation? Get a layout, turf options and a written quote for your space. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/?use=Pet%20turf) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. Photo: Two dogs resting on turf in a fenced back yard. Before you install ## What to know before you start. The rules in short. We measure and check the ground at a free visit, then draw a layout that fits. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) - ### Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch requires the run to abut the house, in a rear or side yard, within 250 square feet on most lots. Turf isn't on its ground-cover list, so ask the ARC before you order. See the rule on highlands ranch The run touches the house and stays within 250 square feet. The [HRCA Residential Improvement Guidelines](https://hrcaonline.org/Portals/0/Documents/covenants/2025-06_ResidentialmprovementGuidelines.pdf?ver=3ZUlKLMOpiB58cPyCpGDJw%3D%3D) (updated June 2025) say a dog run must abut the house, sit in the rear or side yard and have an appropriate ground cover, such as rock or mulch. It’s limited to 250 square feet on most properties, and to one run per property. Chain link may be approved if it’s concealed from view and doesn’t rise above the perimeter fence. ARC approval may be required, and you keep the run up, with timely cleanup of dog waste and elimination of odors. Turf isn’t on that ground-cover list, though the list ends in “etc.” Synthetic turf must also stay at least 2 feet from every property line, so in a run along a side lot line the turf stops 2 feet short of it. Before you order, ask the ARC whether it will accept turf as the run’s ground cover. The [Highlands Ranch page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/highlands-ranch-co/) covers the rest of the HRCA turf spec. - ### Sterling Ranch Sterling Ranch's DRC must approve a run abutting the house, no bigger than 200 square feet or 25% of the rear yard, whichever is less. Its rules don't mention turf, so ask the DRC first. See the rule on sterling ranch The run sits behind the fence, screened by plants. Sterling Ranch’s Controlled Pet Areas sheet needs Design Review Committee approval for every dog run and kennel. The run goes in the side or rear yard, abutting the home and behind yard fencing. It can’t go in a side yard next to a corner sidewalk, street, common area or open space. Fast-growing plants must substantially screen it, with evergreens and grasses for all four seasons, and it must stay clean and sanitary. A dog run may not exceed 200 square feet or 25% of the rear yard, whichever is less. Chain link and electric dog fences are not allowed. The sheet says nothing about ground cover or turf, and it says it isn’t the full set of rules, so ask the DRC which surface it will approve. The [Sterling Ranch page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/sterling-ranch-co/) covers chase drains and builder grades. - ### Ken Caryl Ken Caryl requires Architectural Committee approval, with the run's fence attached to your perimeter fence or house. The first 5 feet is a no-flammable-materials Firewise zone, so ask before planning turf there. See the rule on ken caryl Attach the run to the house, and mind the first 5 feet. [Ken-Caryl Ranch](https://ken-carylranch.org/community/exterior-improvements/) needs Architectural Committee approval for a dog run. It’s a privacy fence or open rail fence, attached to your perimeter fence or the house. Your submittal shows the fence style from your neighborhood’s fencing rules, a site plan with the run’s location and dimensions, and a photo of the spot. Attach it to the house and part of the run lands in the first 5 feet, where the Ranch’s Firewise rules apply. No flammable materials, such as mulch, may go within the first 5 feet of a home’s foundation; rock, gravel and hardscape are encouraged instead. The rule doesn’t say whether artificial turf counts, so ask the Architectural Committee before you plan turf in that strip. Our article on [whether turf can catch fire](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/can-artificial-turf-catch-fire/) covers the first 5 feet, and the [Ken Caryl page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/ken-caryl-co/) covers the Ranch’s turf spec. - ### Beside the wall Pet turf lets urine and rinse water into the base, so the ground under the run should carry it away from the house, not toward a neighbor's. Your HOA may want a drainage plan. See the rule on beside the wall Send the run’s water away from the foundation. Most homes in Colorado are in areas of potentially expansive clay, the [Colorado Geological Survey](https://coloradogeologicalsurvey.org/hazards/expansive-soil-rock/) says. Its [homeowner guide to swelling soil](https://coloradogeologicalsurvey.org/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/SP-14.pdf) says water must not pond near foundations, sprinklers shouldn’t spray within 5 feet of one and downspouts should discharge at least 5 feet out. Pet turf lets urine and rinse water through to the base, and a run against the house puts that liquid in the same strip every day. The guide doesn’t mention dogs or turf, so where the turf starts is a layout choice. It says an edging of gravel over fabric, at least 5 feet out from the house, can keep water from soaking into the soil next to the foundation. A dog in a run that touches the wall can still use that rock, though, and in a run 10 feet deep a 5-foot strip takes half the space. So the ground under the whole run matters most: it should carry water away from the house, without sending it toward a neighbor’s. Your HOA may want that on paper anyway. HRCA asks for a drainage plan with any synthetic turf. Ken-Caryl’s [drainage rules](https://ken-carylranch.org/community/exterior-improvements/) want water to drain away from the foundation, without flowing under or ponding against the foundation, walks or drives of your lot or the lots next to it, and may require an engineered drainage plan. On the free visit we measure and check the ground by the wall. Our article on [turf next to the house](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/artificial-turf-next-to-the-house/) covers the gravel strip and downspouts. - ### Rinsing From October 1, Denver Water bans grass watering and power washing except for health or safety, and doesn't mention turf. Rinse with a shut-off nozzle, and ask your provider whether rinsing a run is allowed. See the rule on rinsing Rinse with a shut-off nozzle, and skip the power washer. From October 1, 2026, until its board acts again, Denver Water’s Resolution #002a-2026 covers everyone who receives its water, inside and outside Denver. It bans watering grass and bars power washing by individuals except for immediate health or safety reasons. Trees and shrubs can still be watered with a hand-held hose that has an automatic shut-off nozzle. Your bill may carry another name: [Ken-Caryl Ranch Water](https://ken-carylwater.org/lawn-watering-season-ending-october-1-2026/) buys its water from Denver Water and tells customers the lawn watering season must end on October 1, 2026. The resolution doesn’t mention artificial turf or pet areas. Pick up solids first, rinse the spots your dog uses with a shut-off nozzle, and ask your water provider whether rinsing a dog run is allowed at your address. Our [pet turf cleaning guide](https://www.timelessgrass.com/blog/how-to-clean-pet-turf/) covers the routine. In [Thornton](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/thornton-co/), the city’s [2026 turf rules for its water-wise rebate](https://www.thorntonwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-residential_artificial_turf_info__rules-1.pdf) require cleaning, sanitizing and brushing, with cleaning done with biodegradable products, and regular maintenance to eliminate odors. Ask Thornton Water whether that applies to a run built without the rebate. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) What we install ## Pet turf for your space. - [### Pet turf A dog run or pet lawn planned around drainage, secure edges and regular cleaning. See pet turf](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/pet-turf/) FAQ ## Questions about pet turf in Denver Metro. ### My HOA isn’t one of these. What should I ask it? Ask for its written rules on dog runs and on turf, then ask how they fit together: where the run must sit, how big it can be, which fences and ground covers it allows, whether turf counts as a ground cover and what the submittal needs. Bring the answers to the free visit. Our [Colorado HOA turf guide](https://www.timelessgrass.com/guides/colorado-hoa-turf-rules/) explains what state law lets an association regulate out back. ### What should I have ready for the free visit? Your community’s dog-run and turf rules, any answer from its committee, and the name of your water provider. Show us the door your dog uses, downspouts near the run, spots that stay wet and any cracks or settling by the wall. We measure and check the ground, then draw a custom layout for you to approve before work starts. The [pet turf service page](https://www.timelessgrass.com/services/pet-turf/) lists what the installation includes. Areas we cover in Denver Metro - [Highlands Ranch, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/highlands-ranch-co/) - [Sterling Ranch, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/sterling-ranch-co/) - [Ken Caryl, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/ken-caryl-co/) - [Littleton, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/littleton-co/) - [Columbine, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/columbine-co/) - [Thornton, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/thornton-co/) - [Denver, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/denver-co/) - [Lakewood, CO](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/lakewood-co/) - [Everywhere we work in Denver Metro](https://www.timelessgrass.com/denver-metro/) Useful links - [HRCA: Residential Improvement Guidelines (adopted October 2024, updated June 2025), sections 2.25, 2.41 and 2.42.E](https://hrcaonline.org/Portals/0/Documents/covenants/2025-06_ResidentialmprovementGuidelines.pdf?ver=3ZUlKLMOpiB58cPyCpGDJw%3D%3D) - [Ken-Caryl Ranch Master Association: property improvements (Dog Runs; Firewise; Drainage)](https://ken-carylranch.org/community/exterior-improvements/) Free estimate ## See the plan before you decide. Tell us about your project and we’ll call to arrange a free visit. [Or call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) Your free estimate includes - A visit to measure your space - A custom layout, drawn for your space - Turf options, side by side - A written price, with no pressure to sign [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) Five short steps. We’ll call to arrange your visit.