A buyer who closes on a Highlands Ranch home this fall will usually see the Highlands Ranch Community Association listed on the settlement statement twice. The first entry is for paperwork. The second is prepaid dues, since HRCA says it typically collects one or two quarters of assessments at closing before the new owner takes over the quarterly payments. Under the approved 2026 rate of $174 a quarter, two quarters come to $348. Under HRCA's proposed 2027 rate of $178.90, two quarters come to $357.80.
That proposed figure is small and steady, and it is easy to treat as just another HOA fee. The 2027 draft budget shows something else. The proposed increase matches a local housing inflation figure, the budget carries no debt service, and most of the money for its two largest capital projects comes from sources other than assessments. For a buyer, the question to watch is less how much the dues are and more which costs dues might have to absorb later.
The settlement-statement layer comes first
HRCA's posted resale fees are fixed and public:
- $150 status letter
- $175 transfer fee, paid at closing
- $250 estoppel certificate
- HomeWiseDocs fees, which are set separately by that platform
Those fees cover only the master association. Every Highlands Ranch homeowner belongs to HRCA. Some neighborhoods also have their own sub-associations, each run independently with its own board and assessments for things like common-area upkeep or a neighborhood pool. Homes in those neighborhoods pay both. HRCA has an address lookup on its sub-association map. Because each sub-association is managed separately, its dues and closing charges have to come from that association or its manager. HRCA's own fee schedule lists no working-capital charge, and no single figure covers all sub-associations.
On a listing, then, the number shown as "HOA" may be HRCA alone, a sub-association alone, or both added together. It is worth checking which before comparing two Highlands Ranch homes on monthly cost.
About ninety percent of the HRCA bill is recreation
The proposed 2027 assessment has two parts. The administrative assessment is $17.25 a quarter, or $69 a year, and pays for covenant control, community relations, and finance. The recreation assessment is $161.65 a quarter, or $646.60 a year. That puts about 90 cents of every HRCA dollar into recreation.
The recreation share pays for four recreation centers: Northridge, Southridge, Westridge, and Eastridge. HRCA says together they offer more than 329,000 square feet of pools, gyms, courts, fitness studios, and rental rooms. It also covers access to the 8,200-acre Backcountry Wilderness Area. That includes 11.2 miles of HRCA trails open only to members and their accompanied guests, alongside 12 miles of the public Douglas County East/West Regional Trail. The HRCA trails require a member ID, are generally open sunrise to sunset, and close for certain seasons and for eagle nesting.
The recent work has gone into these buildings. Westridge had a 2025 refresh covering its youth wing, lobby, locker rooms, cold plunges and infrared sauna, gym, and pool filtration. HRCA set the reopening of the renovated locker rooms for October 18, 2025. The 2027 replacement list is mostly pool equipment. It includes a $65,000 boiler for the Northridge outdoor lap pool, $75,000 to refurbish the Eastridge leisure-pool Frog Slide, and replastering of the Westridge indoor lap pool.
Why the 2027 increase matches a housing inflation figure
The proposed 2027 increase is $19.60 a year, or 2.82 percent. The draft budget points out that the Consumer Price Index for shelter in Denver, Aurora, and Lakewood also rose 2.82 percent as of July 2026. HRCA says its assessments stayed below that index from 2021 through 2026. It also says that, measured from a 2020 baseline, the 2027 quarterly assessment is $28.27 below where increases matching the index would have put it, a difference HRCA puts at about $113 a year per household.
One fact helps explain how HRCA can hold increases this low. The 2027 budget includes no bond payments. HRCA issued bonds in 1995, 1999, and 2005, paid off the 2005 bonds in December 2024, and lists no debt service in the 2027 budget. Without bond payments, assessment dollars go to staff, utilities, insurance, and reserves. Even the administrative increase is a partial reversal. HRCA cut the annual admin assessment from $73.44 to $63.00 in 2024 to draw down a surplus, and the $5 increase for 2027 restores roughly half of that cut.
Where the 2027 capital money comes from
The draft budget plans $14,853,340 in reserve and capital spending for 2027. These are its main lines and the funding source the draft names for each:
| 2027 item | Amount | Funding source named in the draft |
|---|---|---|
| Base Camp building, Backcountry | $7,250,000 | $5.4M from the OSCA fund, $1.85M from recreation operations |
| Wildcat Regional Park construction | $3,500,000 | Douglas County |
| Reserve expenditures | $3,831,340 | Recreation and other reserve funds |
| Recreation capital | $205,000 | Recreation fund |
The recreation operations share of Base Camp, $1.85 million, comes from the fund that assessments support. The other $5.4 million comes from HRCA's Open Space Conservation Agreement with Shea Homes, a fund that received its last contribution in 2018. HRCA is paying most of a new building out of a developer-era fund that no longer receives money. The draft says the request for qualifications went out to contractors in August, and the project includes a secondary egress road. Base Camp is part of the Backcountry Outdoor Center at 6005 Ron King Trail. HRCA describes it as the home of Camp Backcountry and the barnyard animals and the starting point for most programs. HRCA has not published the new building's final design or an opening date.
Wildcat Regional Park construction is paid for with county tax revenue. On October 14, 2025, the Douglas County commissioners transferred the 202-acre Wildcat property to HRCA by quitclaim deed. They also approved $3.5 million from the county's Parks, Trails, Historic Resources and Open Space sales tax to build trails and a trailhead on the Wildcat land and the adjoining OSCA property, according to the county's announcement. The current concept includes a bike skills area, about five miles of bike-only trails, about three miles of surfaced trails, and about three miles of natural-surface multi-use trails. HRCA's project page shows design wrapping up in Fall or Winter 2026, phased construction starting in early 2027, and an estimated opening in late 2027 or early 2028. The FAQ on the same page gives a slightly earlier timeline. Unlike HRCA's existing Backcountry trails, Wildcat will be open to the public.
The costs dues may eventually have to carry
The outside money pays for construction. Once the projects are built, the costs move to HRCA. HRCA will run and maintain Wildcat after it opens. The land also comes with a condition. If HRCA does not build the trail system within three years, ownership returns to Douglas County.
Three lines in the draft budget show where that pressure starts:
- The reserve study is old. The most recent one the draft cites came from Borne Consulting in January 2022. HRCA says it will budget for a new study in a future year. The $3.83 million in 2027 reserve spending is based on that forecast.
- Insurance is rising faster than dues. Coverage costs are up 9.8 percent at the September 2026 renewal. Property insurance alone is up $30,000, or 19 percent, because the recreation centers' insured values went up.
- The developer fund is shrinking. Base Camp uses $5.4 million of OSCA money, and that fund has received nothing since 2018.
HRCA's governing declaration points the board toward building reserves through regular assessments "rather than by large Special Assessments." A buyer can ask the closing documents a simple question. Which future costs is the reserve fund expected to cover, and how up to date is the study behind that estimate?
Three boards set 2027 costs this fall
The proposed $178.90 has not been adopted yet. HRCA's Delegate & Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. HRCA's financial information page says delegates vote and the board adopts the budget in October. Its board page refers to final approval in November.
The other two parts of a Highlands Ranch homeowner's cost are set by separate boards on their own schedules:
| Body | 2026 baseline | 2027 schedule |
|---|---|---|
| HRCA | $174 per quarter | Delegate and board meeting Oct. 20 |
| Highlands Ranch Metro District | 12.250 mills; stormwater fee $3.48 per bi-monthly bill | Proposal posts Oct. 15, hearing Nov. 24, adoption considered Dec. 9 |
| Highlands Ranch Water | Infrastructure fee $9.75/month; $5.69 per 1,000 gallons within budget | Proposal posts Oct. 15, open house Nov. 5, hearing Nov. 30, adoption Dec. 8 |
For 2026, the Metro District raised its levy from 11.205 to 12.250 mills. The Highlands Ranch Herald reported that a typical single-family household would pay about $11.62 more a year as a result. The stormwater fee went from $2.64 to $3.48 per bi-monthly bill. Highlands Ranch Water receives no property-tax revenue and relies almost entirely on rates. Its 2026 budget raised rates 6 percent and added $2.25 a month to the infrastructure fee, which the district estimated at about $8.75 more a month for an average single-family home. The district tied the increase to operating costs and investment in the Joseph B. Blake Water Treatment Plant. No 2027 water rates had been released as of October 11.
A buyer under contract before HRCA adopts its budget is agreeing to all three costs while each one is still being set, and the Metro District and water figures stay open until their December votes.
FAQ
Does every Highlands Ranch home pay HRCA dues? Every Highlands Ranch homeowner is an HRCA member. The recreation assessment applies to properties annexed into the Recreation Function, and some neighborhoods add sub-association dues on top.
Are HRCA dues paying for Wildcat Regional Park? Douglas County's $3.5 million pays for construction. HRCA handles operations and maintenance once the park opens.
Can a buyer review the budget before closing? Yes. HRCA posts the 2027 proposed budget, along with prior budgets and audited year-end financials, on its financial information page.
If you are comparing Highlands Ranch homes and want to see how the HRCA, sub-association, Metro District, and water costs combine for a specific address, the team at Vara; The Real Estate Collective can go through the association documents with you before you sign. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
