Colorado Springs Grass Types by Elevation: Where Warm-Season Grasses Are Ruled Out
Last updated: July 30, 2026
Quick answer: Colorado State University Extension states that at elevations above 7,000 feet, warm-season grasses should not be used. The Colorado Springs service area straddles that line. Measured against USGS elevation data, Woodland Park (8,481 ft) and Black Forest (7,371 ft) sit above the cutoff, so the warm-season options Extension names for Colorado — buffalograss and blue grama — are off the table there, leaving the cool-season grasses: bluegrass, ryegrass and the fescues. Everywhere else in the area sits below it. Monument, at 6,980 ft, is within 20 feet of the line. Because the warm-season grasses are also the low-water ones, elevation here quietly pushes the highest communities toward the thirstier category — while Colorado Springs Utilities limits watering to three days a week.
Elevation by community, measured
Each figure below is a live reading from the U.S. Geological Survey Elevation Point Query Service at the coordinate shown, so anyone can re-run the same query and check the result.
| Community | Coordinate queried | USGS elevation | CSU 7,000 ft rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Park | 38.9939, -105.0569 | 8,481 ft | Above — no warm-season grasses |
| Black Forest | 39.0136, -104.7008 | 7,371 ft | Above — no warm-season grasses |
| Monument | 39.0916, -104.8722 | 6,980 ft | Below by 20 ft |
| Falcon | 38.9339, -104.6019 | 6,819 ft | Below |
| Briargate | 38.9560, -104.7800 | 6,731 ft | Below |
| Cimarron Hills | 38.8636, -104.6941 | 6,452 ft | Below |
| Manitou Springs | 38.8597, -104.9172 | 6,367 ft | Below |
| Broadmoor | 38.7917, -104.8480 | 6,212 ft | Below |
| Colorado Springs | 38.8339, -104.8214 | 6,008 ft | Below |
| Security-Widefield | 38.7486, -104.7136 | 5,853 ft | Below |
| Fountain | 38.6822, -104.7008 | 5,543 ft | Below |
These are point readings at a town-centre coordinate, not the elevation of every parcel. Terrain here changes fast — a property on a ridge above Monument or on the higher ground north of Black Forest can sit hundreds of feet above its town-centre figure. If your lot is anywhere near the line, check your own coordinate rather than relying on the town’s.
What Extension actually says about grass choice in Colorado
Colorado State University Extension’s fact sheet on renovating the home lawn names the options plainly. The cool-season grasses for Colorado lawns are bluegrass, ryegrass and the fescues. The warm-season grasses named are buffalograss and blue grama. And the elevation constraint is stated without qualification: at elevations greater than 7,000 feet, do not use warm-season grasses.
Seeding windows differ between the two groups as well. Cool-season grasses can be seeded from March through September, with the optimal window along the Front Range falling between mid-August and mid-September. Warm-season grasses are seeded April through July.
The trade-off nobody states out loud
Buffalograss and blue grama are the native short-grass prairie species, and they are chosen precisely because they need far less water than bluegrass. They are the water-wise lawn option in this region.
Which means the elevation rule has a consequence worth naming: the communities highest above the plains are the ones excluded from the lowest-water grasses. A property in Woodland Park at 8,481 feet or in Black Forest at 7,371 feet cannot use buffalograss or blue grama under Extension guidance, and is therefore choosing among bluegrass, ryegrass and the fescues — the higher-water group — while operating under the same Colorado Springs Utilities limit of three watering days a week as everyone else.
That does not make a lawn impossible up there. It does mean that at higher elevations the realistic route to a low-water landscape is usually less lawn rather than a different grass. Reducing turf to the area actually used, and converting the rest, is the lever that still works when the low-water grass species are ruled out. Our Colorado Springs xeriscape page covers that approach.
How do the watering rules interact with this?
Colorado Springs Utilities publishes six Water Wise Rules. You may water up to three days a week, Sunday to Saturday, choosing your own days. From May 1 to October 15, watering must be done before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. to reduce evaporation. Water must not pool on hard surfaces or flow down gutters, leaking sprinkler systems must be repaired within 10 days, a shut-off nozzle is required when washing anything with a hose, and hard surfaces may be cleaned with water only where there is a public health and safety concern.
Three days a week is workable for cool-season turf provided the watering is deep rather than frequent and shallow, and provided the system actually delivers evenly. Our Colorado Springs sprinkler and irrigation page covers coverage testing and cycle-and-soak on the clay soils common along the Front Range.
So which grass should I plant?
Above 7,000 feet (Woodland Park, Black Forest, and any parcel that measures above the line): cool-season only — bluegrass, ryegrass or fescues, per Extension guidance. Seed March through September, ideally mid-August to mid-September.
Below 7,000 feet (most of the area): both groups are available. Cool-season grasses hold colour longer through the season; buffalograss and blue grama use markedly less water but are seeded in a narrower April-to-July window and behave differently through the year.
Near the line (Monument especially, at 6,980 ft): check the parcel rather than the town. Twenty feet of margin at a town-centre coordinate is not margin at all once terrain is taken into account.
Sun, shade, traffic and irrigation capacity then narrow the choice further within whichever group elevation leaves open. Our sod installation page covers establishment and the first mowing — Extension guidance is to begin mowing a new lawn at about two and a half inches, then maintain a height of two to three inches.
Frequently asked questions
Can I plant buffalograss in Woodland Park? Not under CSU Extension guidance. Woodland Park measures 8,481 feet by USGS, and Extension states that at elevations above 7,000 feet warm-season grasses — which include buffalograss and blue grama — should not be used.
Which Colorado Springs area communities are above 7,000 feet? Of the eleven checked, two: Woodland Park at 8,481 feet and Black Forest at 7,371 feet. The other nine measure below the line.
How close to the line is Monument? Monument’s town-centre coordinate measures 6,980 feet — about 20 feet below the 7,000-foot threshold. Individual parcels nearby can sit above it.
What grasses does Extension name for Colorado lawns? Cool-season: bluegrass, ryegrass and the fescues. Warm-season: buffalograss and blue grama.
When should I seed? Cool-season grasses from March through September, with mid-August to mid-September optimal along the Front Range. Warm-season grasses April through July.
How many days a week can I water in Colorado Springs? Up to three, Sunday through Saturday, days of your choosing. From May 1 to October 15 watering must be before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
How tall should I mow a new lawn? Extension guidance is to begin mowing when it reaches about two and a half inches, then maintain two to three inches.
Where did these elevation figures come from? The U.S. Geological Survey Elevation Point Query Service, queried at the town-centre coordinates published in the table above so the readings can be reproduced.
Sources
- Colorado State University Extension — Renovating the Home Lawn, fact sheet 7.241 (Wilson & Koski; published January 2004, reviewed March 2014): grass species for Colorado, the 7,000-foot warm-season restriction, seeding windows and mowing height: extension.colostate.edu
- U.S. Geological Survey — Elevation Point Query Service (elevations in the table, queried at the listed coordinates, July 2026): epqs.nationalmap.gov
- Colorado Springs Utilities — Water Wise Rules: csu.org/water-wise-rules
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