--- title: North Lake Tahoe Fire: Defensible Space in Incline Village url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/north-lake-tahoe-fpd/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Fire districts](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/) - North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District # North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District: defensible space and trees The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District covers Incline Village and Crystal Bay. It offers online scheduling for defensible space inspections and a curbside chipping program, and TRPA says defensible-space tree removal can be permitted by the local fire protection agency. Programs change, so this page lists what the district published on the day we read it. ## What the district offers residents - **Defensible space inspections:** The district offers online scheduling for defensible space inspections (DSI). Evaluations follow its defensible space checklist, and a home vulnerability checklist may also be used. The district says an inspection is typically required for projects that need a Washoe County permit, such as short-term rentals or building permits, and other inspections can be requested because of a fire district notice, for insurance or by the homeowner. - **What it asks for:** The district says distance varies by property based on vegetation and terrain, and most properties need 100 to 200 feet. It asks for a 5-foot non-combustible zone around the home and for fallen needles and leaves to be removed within 30 feet of the house each spring. - **Curbside chipping:** Hand crews chip branches curbside, by online reservation, spring through fall. The district says requests are typically completed within one week and can take up to three weeks because of fire assignments. Piles can be up to 20 feet long, 6 feet high and 6 feet wide, branches up to 6 inches in diameter, with no stumps, roots, garbage, nails, lumber or pine cones. Commercial piles are not chipped. - **Tree removal:** The district pages we read do not describe a tree-removal permit process. TRPA says defensible-space tree removal can be permitted by your local fire protection agency, so ask the district before any live tree comes down. ## Towns in this district | Town | Wildfire risk to homes (US percentile) | Buildings directly exposed | Mapped fires within about 10 miles | |---|---|---|---| | Incline Village | 97.7% | 61.0% | 8 | | Crystal Bay | 92.9% | 26.6% | 5 | Sources: USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026); NIFC fire perimeters of 300+ acres since 1980, centers within about 10 miles of the town point. Incline Village and Crystal Bay sit at about 6,400 feet on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Two agencies shape tree work there: TRPA for the basin's tree rules and the fire district for defensible space. Here is how the district describes its own program. ## How does a tree come down legally at Incline Village? TRPA requires a permit to remove live trees over 14 inches diameter at breast height, or over 6 inches between a lakeshore house and the lake. A dead tree that could fall on a house does not need a TRPA permit. Work in a Stream Environment Zone or the lake's backshore needs TRPA review. For fire-safety removals, TRPA says to contact your fire protection agency for permitting and a defensible space evaluation. [Who handles defensible-space tree permits at Tahoe](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/lake-tahoe/who-handles-defensible-space-tree-permits-at-tahoe/) answers the common question, and our [permit guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tahoe-tree-removal-permits-dbh/) shows how to measure DBH. The agency decides. ## What do the numbers say for Incline Village and Crystal Bay? The USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities data rates Incline Village's risk to homes higher than 97.7 percent of US communities, with 61.0 percent of its 4,749 buildings in the direct-exposure zone. Crystal Bay is higher than 92.9 percent, with 26.6 percent of its 256 buildings directly exposed. Median year built is about 1981 in Incline Village and 1972 in Crystal Bay. Mapped fires of 300 acres or more with centers within about 10 miles include Martis (2001, 14,429 acres), Little Valley (1981, 5,142 acres) and, for Incline Village, Davis (2024, 5,824 acres). Those are mapped acres only. ## What does Battle Born do here? We do defensible space and fire mitigation, removal of dead and hazardous trees, trimming and limbing up, and haul-off. A certified arborist assesses every job before work begins, and we have two ISA Certified Arborists on staff. We serve the Nevada side only. Incline Village is about 48 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic; Crystal Bay is about 53. Many lots here call for hand work, ropes or a crane. Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) for a free estimate. ### Sources - [North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District: Defensible Space](https://nltfpd.org/en-us/defensible-space) (read October 17, 2026) - [North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District: Curbside Chipping](https://nltfpd.org/curbside-chipping) (read October 17, 2026) - [Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: Trees and Defensible Space](https://www.trpa.gov/trees-and-defensible-space/) (read October 17, 2026) - [USDA Forest Service: Wildfire Risk to Communities (wildfirerisk.org), tabular download of April 15, 2026](https://wildfirerisk.org/download/) (pulled October 1, 2026) - [National Interagency Fire Center: Interagency Fire Perimeter History and WFIGS Interagency Perimeters (fires of 300+ acres, 1980 to 2026)](https://services3.arcgis.com/T4QMspbfLg3qTGWY/arcgis/rest/services/WFIGS_Interagency_Perimeters/FeatureServer/0/query) (pulled October 1, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Incline Village](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/incline-village/) - [Crystal Bay](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/crystal-bay/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation in Incline Village](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/incline-village/defensible-space/) - [Free defensible space evaluations and chipping programs by fire district](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/free-defensible-space-evaluations-chipping/) - [Tree care for vacation homes at Lake Tahoe](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/vacation-home-tree-care-lake-tahoe/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) ### Other fire districts - [Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/tahoe-douglas-fpd/) - [East Fork Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/east-fork-fpd/) - [Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/truckee-meadows-fpd/) - [Carson City Fire Department](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/carson-city-fire-department/) - [Central Lyon County Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/central-lyon-county-fpd/) - [North Lyon County Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/north-lyon-county-fpd/) - [Storey County Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/storey-county-fire/) ## North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District questions Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Does the fire district or TRPA approve a defensible-space tree removal at Incline Village? TRPA says defensible-space tree removal can be permitted by your local fire protection agency, and that dead trees that could fall on a house need no TRPA permit. Ask the district about your tree before cutting. ### Is the defensible space inspection required? The district says an inspection is typically required for projects that need a Washoe County permit, such as a short-term rental or building permit. Others are voluntary. ### Can a contractor use the district's chipping program? No. The district says commercial piles are not chipped. ### Do you work on the California side? No. We serve the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe only.