Sterling Ranch, Littleton CO: Neighborhood Guide

Where Sterling Ranch is, and which Sterling Ranch this is

There are two Sterling Ranches in Colorado. This guide covers the one in northwest Douglas County, south of Littleton and southwest of Highlands Ranch, between Chatfield State Park and Roxborough State Park. The other is a separate community in northeast Colorado Springs, in El Paso County, built by Classic Homes, Vantage Homes and American Legend Homes, with different schools, taxes and builders (sterlingranchhomes.com, checked October 2026).

This Sterling Ranch is unincorporated and governed by Douglas County. Homes carry Littleton mailing addresses in ZIP 80125, but the community isn't part of the City of Littleton, and the Census Bureau tracks it as its own census-designated place. For the bigger picture on the area, see my Living in Littleton guide.

Titan Road leads into Providence village and Waterton Road serves Ascent, per the developer's village map. Approximate drive distances from the center of Sterling Ranch, based on OpenStreetMap routing checked in October 2026:

• C-470 about 7 miles
• Downtown Littleton about 11 miles
• Denver Tech Center (Belleview Avenue) about 17 miles
• Downtown Denver about 20 miles
• Downtown Castle Rock about 16 miles
• Denver International Airport about 49 miles
• Colorado Springs about 56 miles

The homes, villages and builders

Sterling Ranch held its grand opening in August 2017 (developer news release). The developer now reports more than 3,000 homes sold toward about 16,000 at full build-out over 20 to 30 years, and CBS Colorado reported in July 2026 that Douglas County has approved 16,050 homes in total. The plan has nine villages: Providence and Prospect are sold out, and new homes are selling in Ascent and Parkvale from the $400s, per the developer's builder page (October 2026).

Home types include single-family homes, multigenerational plans with secondary suites, townhomes, paired homes and a handful of custom estate sites, plus apartments for lease. The developer says there are no age-restricted neighborhoods.

You can bring your own agent to any model home on your very first visit. Each builder handles registration differently, so check the builder's registration policy before you walk in. Here is why that first visit matters in Colorado new construction.

Who is building where, per the developer's builder page (October 2026):

• Ascent village Lennar (Parkside two-story townhomes and Skyline three-story single-family homes), Pulte (Crest Collection), Richmond American (Aspire Collection), Taylor Morrison (Town Collection), Tri Pointe (Prelude Collection), Trumark (Duet duplexes) and Sheffield Homes (four custom homesites on more than two acres).
• Parkvale village David Weekley (townhomes, pricing not yet released), Lion Residential (Enclave Collection ranch homes), Richmond American (Skyline at Parkvale and Duos paired homes) and Trumark (Rhapsody Collection), with Pulte designs coming in fall 2026.

No HOA: the CAB, metro districts and carrying costs

Sterling Ranch has no HOA. The Sterling Ranch Community Authority Board (CAB), a special-purpose local government created through the community's metro districts, runs operations, enforces covenants and handles design review, trash, recycling and snow removal (CAB governance page, October 2026).

Expect two bills besides property tax. A monthly water and sewer bill has a fixed base fee plus tiered usage, with your first tier set from your average winter use; water comes from Dominion Water and Sanitation District. CAB service fees for stormwater, trash and recycling and streetlights are billed quarterly (CAB FAQ). The CAB's 2026 fee sheet lists these monthly rates: a water base fee of $50.20 with a single meter or $74.95 with a dual meter, plus tiered indoor and outdoor usage; a sewer base fee of $44.95 plus $12.50 per 1,000 gallons of indoor use; stormwater at $18.80 for a detached home; trash at $14.17; and streetlights at $9.90. For a detached home on a single meter, those fixed charges add up to about $138 a month before usage.

The metro district levy is the big number. The 2026 disclosure notices for Sterling Ranch Colorado Metropolitan District Nos. 2 and 3, the districts collecting the most tax, each show 95.522 mills for collection in 2026, split between operations and debt service, and Douglas County's mill levy certification matches. At the 6.25% residential assessment rate HB24B-1001 set for metro district levies in 2026, that's about $597 a year per $100,000 of the assessor's actual value, before any exemptions and before county, school and other levies. In the tax areas for Districts 2 and 3, the total of all levies was 182.093 mills for 2025 taxes paid in 2026 (Douglas County).

The service plans allow up to $1.8 billion of combined debt, with a 50-mill cap on the debt levy (subject to adjustments) and 40-year maximum terms (CAB, October 2026). My Sterling Ranch vs. Painted Prairie comparison and my metro district tax guide put those numbers in context.

Amenities and what is nearby

Here is what exists today, from the developer's FAQ and village pages (checked October 2026). Still to come: a Douglas County School District K-5 elementary, Elementary School 51, set to open in August 2027 for the 2027-2028 school year (DCSD); a Douglas County library branch; and the Zebulon sports complex, which is still in development (developer; CBS Colorado, July 2026).

• Trails and open space More than 30 miles of trails, over a dozen parks and more than 30% of the land in open space.
• Overlook Clubhouse Lap pool, splash pad, fitness center and indoor and outdoor gathering space; it opened in October 2020 (CAB).
• Prospect Park An eight-acre all-abilities park with accessible playgrounds and a turf field.
• Pickleball Eight glass-enclosed courts at Burns Regional Park.
• Ranch Social at the Sterling Center A coffee shop, wine bar, taproom, food trucks and a marketplace.
• Medical UCHealth Sterling Ranch Medical Center offers primary care, urgent care and physical therapy on site.
• State parks Chatfield State Park and Roxborough State Park sit on either side, with Waterton Canyon close by.

What to check when buying in Sterling Ranch

My free buyer's guide covers the full process, and my soils report guide explains what to look for in a new-construction lot's engineering. Specific to Sterling Ranch:

• Which district or subdistrict Levies differ. District No. 4's subdistricts levy 90.030 mills for 2026 collection and some District No. 7 areas levy less, versus 95.522 in Districts 2 and 3 (Douglas County). Ask for the tax area on the exact lot.
• Water budget Your indoor water budget is set from your average December to February use, and use above your budget is billed at higher tiers, with outdoor water costing more. Big lawns raise the bill; new turf and plants get a 45-day establishment period billed at tier 1.
• Soils and foundation Ask for the lot's soils report and engineered foundation design.
• Builder warranty and contract Get the warranty in writing, including the structural term, and have the builder's purchase contract reviewed before you sign.
• Construction nearby With 16,050 homes approved and four of nine villages under way, expect construction around you for years. Ask what is planned next to your lot.
• School assignments The district is setting attendance boundaries for the new elementary before it opens. Confirm schools for a specific address with the district's school locator.
• Radon Ask whether a passive mitigation system was installed, and test after you move in.

Selling a home in Sterling Ranch

A Sterling Ranch resale competes with nine builders, many offering quick move-in homes and incentives. Buyers who start at a model will compare your price per square foot with new construction, so the case for a resale has to be specific.

Lead with what a new build doesn't have yet: landscaping that's past its establishment period, fencing and window coverings, and your 12-month water usage summary from the utility portal, which shows real carrying costs. Price against closed resales in your village, and start with a free home value estimate.

Nearby guides

• Living in Littleton
• BackCountry
• Heritage Hills
• The Canyons
• All South Metro neighborhood guides