Parks land management

Louisville’s Parks Division maintains about 375 acres, including community, neighborhood, and pocket parks, sports fields, parkways, greenbelts, the cemetery, City facility grounds, and landscaped rights-of-way.

These public spaces are managed to be safe, welcoming, accessible, and sustainable while supporting recreation and community use. Parks staff balance the needs of the community today with the long-term care of these public spaces, including conserving water, supporting healthy trees and landscapes, improving habitat, and creating resilient landscapes for the future.

How Louisville’s park lands are maintained

Maintaining these spaces involves much more than mowing grass. Parks staff care for turf, irrigation systems, trees, landscaping, playgrounds, athletic fields, and other amenities throughout the community.

Maintenance varies based on how a space is used and what it needs. The Parks General Maintenance and Management Plan helps establish the appropriate level of service for different types of sites, which can affect how often an area is mowed, how quickly irrigation is repaired, and how frequently landscaping and other maintenance needs are addressed.

Mowing and turf care

Not all grassy areas are maintained the same way. Mowing and turf care vary based on how a space is used and the level of service it requires. Athletic fields and heavily used park areas may need more frequent mowing, fertilization, and turf care, while greenbelts and less intensively used areas may be maintained less frequently. This means some areas may intentionally be mowed more or less than others. Learn more about mowing

Watering and irrigation

Parks staff manage irrigation systems throughout parks and other City landscapes. Watering varies based on the type of landscape, plant needs, weather, and how the area is used. The City works to conserve water through efficient irrigation, water-wise landscaping, and plants better suited to Colorado’s climate.

Tree care

Parks staff care for approximately 10,000 publicly maintained trees throughout Louisville, including trees in parks, rights-of-way, and other City properties. Tree care includes planting, pruning, monitoring tree health, managing pests and diseases, and removing trees when necessary to support a safe, healthy, and diverse urban forest. Learn more about urban forestry in Louisville

Landscaping and horticulture

Parks staff maintain medians, streetscapes, rights-of-way, flower beds, shrubs, and other landscaped areas throughout Louisville. The City is also converting select areas of traditional bluegrass turf to more diverse, water-wise landscapes with native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. These landscapes can reduce water and long-term maintenance needs while providing habitat for pollinators and wildlife.

As a designated Bee City USA community, Louisville also incorporates pollinator-friendly plants and practices that support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Learn more about horticulture and streetscapes

Weed management

Parks staff use a combination of methods to manage weeds in parks and other City-maintained landscapes, with an emphasis on mowing, hand pulling, and other non-chemical methods. Herbicides may be used selectively when needed, but the City discontinued the use of glyphosate and 2,4-D in City-maintained parks in 2020. This approach reduces herbicide use while balancing weed control with the needs of parks, landscaping, and the community.

Other park maintenance

Parks maintenance includes many other services that help keep public spaces safe, functional, and ready for use, including:

• Turf and athletic field care
• Irrigation
• Tree care and forestry
• Horticulture and landscaping
• Weed and pest management
• Playground and amenity maintenance
• Cemetery maintenance
• Snow and ice removal