Landscaping in Castle Rock, CO
S&C Landscaping serves Castle Rock and Castle Pines at the north end of our service area. Castle Rock has the strictest landscape water rules in the region — new front-yard turf is prohibited, and there is a rebate for removing existing lawn.
What Castle Rock yards have to deal with
The water rules here are real, and they are written down
Castle Rock Water has pushed further on landscape water than anywhere else in our service area. New residential development has been barred from installing front-yard turf since 2023, and cool-season grass in back yards is capped. On existing homes the town runs a turf-replacement rebate for swapping high-water lawn for a water-wise planting design — currently around $3.25 per square foot, with a minimum area and a per-household cap, and artificial turf excluded. If you are considering taking a lawn out, check the current terms before work starts: the rebate is paid on the design meeting their criteria, not just on the grass being gone.
Water-wise does not mean a yard of rock
The failure mode of a low-water conversion is a gravel rectangle with three shrubs in it, which bakes in summer and adds nothing to the house. A design that meets the rules and still looks like a garden uses layered planting — grasses, perennials and shrubs chosen for this climate — with rock and hardscape as structure rather than as the whole scheme. Drip irrigation under the planting keeps it establishing through the first two seasons, which is when most conversions are won or lost.
HOA and covenant review
A large share of Castle Rock and Castle Pines property sits inside an HOA with a design review process, and approval usually wants a plan rather than a description. Plant lists, materials and layout submitted up front avoid the common outcome — a half-built yard stopped by a letter. We draw the plan first, which is what both the HOA and the rebate program want to see.
What we do in Castle Rock
Every project starts with a free on-site visit, so the quote reflects your actual property rather than a guess over the phone. You work directly with owners Chris and Simeon, who bring 15 years of combined experience across the Front Range.
Castle Rock landscaping questions
Can I put in a new lawn in Castle Rock?
Not in the front yard of a new build — the town prohibits it — and back-yard cool-season grass is limited. Existing lawns can stay, but replacing one qualifies for the town's turf-replacement rebate. Check the current rules with Castle Rock Water before planning any turf.
How does the turf-replacement rebate work?
In broad terms the town pays a set amount per square foot of high-water lawn removed and replaced with a qualifying water-wise landscape, subject to a minimum area and a household cap, with non-permeable surfaces paid at a lower rate and artificial turf excluded. Terms change, so confirm the current figures with Castle Rock Water and get the plan approved before removing anything.
Do you work with HOA design review?
Yes. We produce the landscape plan, plant list and materials so it can be submitted for approval before installation begins.
Local rules change — check the current terms: Conserve Castle Rock — rebates.