NEW HOMEOWNER GUIDE
How Long Do You Have to Landscape Your Back Yard?
If you just bought a new-construction home in the Treasure Valley, your builder probably finished the front yard and left the back yard as bare dirt. Your HOA’s covenants (the CC&Rs) very likely give you a deadline to finish it.
The cities themselves generally do not set a back-yard deadline for single-family homes; it comes from your subdivision’s recorded covenants, so it varies from one neighborhood to the next.
Typical deadlines
Across the covenants we have read for Treasure Valley subdivisions, the common pattern is: the front yard is finished before you move in, and the rest of the yard is due somewhere between 60 and 180 days after closing or occupancy. Examples from recorded or filed covenants:
- Six months from the closing date, with a fine of $100 per day after that (a 2026 Meridian subdivision by a major builder)
- Rear yard within 90 days of occupancy (a Star subdivision)
- Rear yard within 2 months of occupancy (a Kuna subdivision)
- Rear yard sodded or seeded within 6 months of occupancy (several older Meridian subdivisions)
- Some communities require all landscaping within 30 days of completion — in practice, finished at move-in
How to find your deadline
- Read the landscaping section of your CC&Rs — they are usually in your closing documents, and your HOA or management company can send a copy
- Look for when the clock starts: closing date, occupancy, or “substantial completion” of the house
- Check whether the HOA must approve a landscape plan first; approval can take a few weeks, so it eats into your deadline
- Ask whether winter months count — a few covenants pause the clock December through February
Planning the work
Spring is the busiest season for landscapers, and sod and plants install best in spring and early fall. If you closed in late summer or fall, booking a design and quote over the winter usually means you are at the front of the line in March.
A typical new-home back yard — grading, topsoil, sod, sprinklers and planting beds — takes one to two weeks once work starts. See what is included and what it costs on our new-construction landscaping page.
Can I get an extension?
Some HOAs will consider an extension if you have a signed contract and a scheduled start date. Ask in writing before the deadline passes. This is general information, not legal advice; your own CC&Rs and HOA board decide.
