Will my HOA approve my deck? Highlands Ranch (HRCA) rules explained

If you live in Highlands Ranch, you can't just start building a deck — the HRCA has to approve it first. The good news: it's not as scary as it sounds, and we've walked dozens of Highlands Ranch homeowners through it. Here's exactly how it works and what gets a deck approved the first time.

Approval comes before the build, not after

This is the single most important rule, so we'll say it plainly: in Highlands Ranch you have to get your deck approved before you build it. The Highlands Ranch Community Association (HRCA) runs an architectural review for exterior projects, and a new or replacement deck is exactly the kind of project it reviews.

Build first and ask later, and you risk being told to change it — or tear it out. Doing the paperwork up front is far cheaper than fixing a deck that didn't get approved.

How the HRCA review actually works

You (or your contractor) send the HRCA a home improvement request with the details of your deck. A typical deck submittal includes:

• A site plan showing where the deck goes, your property lines, and the setbacks.
• Drawings showing the size and height.
• The materials and finishes — wood or composite, and the exact color or stain.
• Photos and any other sign-offs the committee asks for.

Then the review committee meets — generally about twice a month — and the HRCA has up to 30 days to act on your request. An approval letter is usually good for about a year, so once you're approved you have plenty of time to build.

The fastest approvals are the complete, tidy ones. Missing a color chip or a drainage note is what sends an application back and adds weeks.

The size rule: keep it reasonable for your yard

Highlands Ranch wants decks to fit the home and the lot, not swallow the whole backyard. As a rule of thumb, a deck and similar hard structures shouldn't take up more than about a quarter of your back yard. On a normal lot that's still plenty of room for a great deck — but if you're dreaming of something huge, it's worth checking the math early so the design doesn't get bounced. We size the plan to fit the rule before it ever goes in.

The color rule that trips people up

Highlands Ranch cares a lot about everything looking consistent from yard to yard. The clearest example is the fence color: the HRCA adopted a single, community-wide standard often called "Highlands Ranch Fence Brown" — a deep, uniform brown so every fence in the neighborhood matches instead of being a patchwork of stains.

Deck colors get reviewed too. You can't just pick any stain or composite shade — it has to be approved. The easy path is a warm, natural brown that fits right in. A composite color like Trex Saddle (a medium, wood-look brown) is a common pick that plays nicely with the community look and the fence-brown standard. We'll steer your color choice toward something we know the committee approves.

BackCountry gets an extra look

If your home is in the gated BackCountry neighborhood, there's an additional layer: BackCountry has its own architectural review on top of the regular Highlands Ranch process. The standards there are tighter and the submittal is more detailed. It's very doable — you just need to plan for the extra step and the extra time. We've handled BackCountry submittals and know what they look for.

And remember — the county permit is separate

Here's the part homeowners mix up most: HRCA approval is not your building permit. They're two completely separate yeses.

• HRCA approval is your HOA saying the deck looks right — size, materials, color.
• The building permit comes from Douglas County and confirms the deck is built safely, with footings deep enough for our clay and framing strong enough for snow.

You need both before anyone swings a hammer. (We wrote a whole plain-English guide to deck permits in Douglas County if you want the details.)

How we handle all of it

Most homeowners don't want to spend their weekends filling out HOA forms and county applications. So we do it for you. When we build your deck, we prepare the HRCA submittal, choose approved colors, pull the Douglas County permit, and meet the inspector — all part of the job and all in your itemized estimate. You get a great deck and skip the paperwork headache.

Ready to start? Take a look at our deck options or grab a free estimate below and we'll handle the approvals.