Tree rules by jurisdiction: permits, rights-of-way and Lake Tahoe

Tree rules differ by city, by county and by which side of the Sierra crest you live on. The table collects the rules we found for the places we work, with who to ask. It is general information, not legal advice, and the agency decides.

How this table was put together

Each row comes from a public source: the city's own tree FAQ for Reno, a summary of local tree ordinances from the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, the Carson City code and Public Works pages, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's trees and defensible space page, the Nevada Revised Statutes and NV Energy's tree trimming page. The Reno government site answers scripted requests with an error, so its pages were read by a person and are cited as recorded. Where we found no rule, the table says so instead of guessing.

What stands out

• Private property in Reno and Sparks has no removal permit that we found. The permit questions begin at the street and at the property line.
• In Reno the city right-of-way is the line that matters, and the work there must be done by a Certified Arborist. For a tree in the right-of-way, ask the city first.
• The Tahoe Basin is the strictest area. The 14 inch measure is taken at 4.5 feet above the ground, and it drops to 6 inches on lakeshore lots between the house and the lake. A dead tree that could fall on a house does not need a permit.
• Nevada's defensible space statute does not state a distance, so you will not find a 100 foot legal figure in it. The zones used in this region come from the UNR Extension Living With Fire guide: 0 to 5 feet, 5 to 30 feet and 30 to 100 feet.
• The line from the pole to your house belongs to you, not NV Energy. Anyone who is not qualified must stay at least 10 feet from power lines up to 50 kV.

How to use it

Find your place in the table, read the rule, then call the contact named. If the tree is near a street, sidewalk or utility easement, assume the answer may be different from a tree in the middle of a back yard until the agency tells you otherwise. Fire district evaluations in the Tahoe Basin are free where offered. Homeowner associations and builders' covenants add rules of their own. For the detail, see permits in Northern Nevada, Tahoe permits and the 14 inch rule and HOA tree rules.

Limits of the data

Rules change, and this table is a snapshot. It does not cover every city, county or special district in our service area. For Carson City we found no permit for private trees and say only to check with Public Works about right-of-way trees. If a rule seems to apply to you, the agency decides, not this page, and for a legal question an attorney does.