--- title: Truckee Meadows Fire District: Defensible Space Rules url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/truckee-meadows-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/) - Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District # Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: defensible space and trees The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District serves unincorporated Washoe County, including Washoe Valley, Verdi, Cold Springs, Lemmon Valley, Golden Valley, Sun Valley, Spanish Springs and Palomino Valley. It publishes a defensible space code with fuel-modification distances of 30, 50 or 100 feet by hazard level, a limited curbside chipping program and seasonal green waste days. ## What the district offers residents - **Defensible space code:** For property in designated wildland-urban interface areas, the district's table lists fuel-modification distances of 30 feet (moderate hazard), 50 feet (high) and 100 feet (extreme). Depending on the water supply available when the building was built, the distance may be 1.5 times the table figure, and it can be increased by site-specific analysis. Tree crowns within 10 feet of a structure must be pruned to keep 10 feet of horizontal clearance, and limbs less than 6 feet above the ground within the defensible space must be removed. - **Owner responsibility:** The district says the owner is responsible for modifying, removing and disposing of non-fire-resistive vegetation, that defensible space must be maintained for the life of the building, and that failing to maintain it may affect an insurance claim. - **Curbside chipping:** The fall 2026 program was free to Washoe County residents who have disabilities, low incomes or are elderly and cannot take green waste to a collection site. Requests closed October 1, chipping was scheduled October 10 to 17, and material had to be 8 inches or less in diameter. It is not a year-round program. - **Green waste:** Twice a year, in spring and fall, residents can drop off woody fuels from around their homes at designated north and south locations. The district also says green waste can go to Waste Management drop-off locations year-round. - **Fuels crews and restrictions:** The district lists a Fuels Module crew that is generally available for hire. On the day we read it, Stage 1 fire restrictions were in effect from October 1, 2026 and pile burning was prohibited. ## Towns in this district | Town | Wildfire risk to homes (US percentile) | Buildings directly exposed | Mapped fires within about 10 miles | |---|---|---|---| | Galena and Mt. Rose Highway | no own record (see the county) | not published | 27 | | Spanish Springs | 98.6% | 32.0% | 26 | | Sun Valley | 97.7% | 16.1% | 30 | | Lemmon Valley | 99.2% | 45.3% | 27 | | Golden Valley | 96.7% | 64.7% | 26 | | Cold Springs | 98.4% | 12.3% | 36 | | Verdi | 98.8% | 33.0% | 33 | | Mogul | 95% | 9.8% | 29 | | Washoe Valley | 97.2% | 93.7% | 23 | | Palomino Valley | no own record (see the county) | not published | 19 | 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. Of the districts in our service area, Truckee Meadows Fire publishes the most. Here is what its pages say, as read on the day we wrote this. ## How does tree work fit in Washoe County? We found no City of Reno-style tree permit for private property in unincorporated Washoe County, but the district's code does govern what has to be pruned and cleared around structures in designated areas. A defensible space inspection is also required for some county permits. Ask the district which hazard level and distance apply to your parcel. Galena and the Mt. Rose Highway corridor (ZIP 89511) and Palomino Valley (ZIP 89510) have no USFS record of their own, so the Washoe County figures apply. See [permits in Northern Nevada](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-removal-permits-northern-nevada/). ## What do the numbers say for the district's towns? USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities rates risk to homes higher than 97.2 percent of US communities in Washoe Valley (93.7 percent of its 2,268 buildings in the direct-exposure zone) and Washoe County overall. Lemmon Valley is higher than 99.2 percent (45.3 percent directly exposed), Verdi 98.8 percent, Spanish Springs 98.6 percent, Cold Springs 98.4 percent, Sun Valley 97.7 percent and Golden Valley 96.7 percent (64.7 percent directly exposed). Mapped fires of 300 acres or more with centers within about 10 miles include Hawk (2026, 15,083 acres) near Verdi and Lemmon Valley, Bug (2026, 93,733 acres) near Cold Springs, Davis (2024, 5,824 acres) near Washoe Valley and Galena, and Sparks (1983, 25,541 acres) near Sun Valley and Spanish Springs. Those are mapped acres only. ## What does Battle Born do in the district? We do defensible space and fire mitigation, lot clearing, brush mowing and masticating, trimming and limbing up, and removal of dead and hazardous trees, with a certified arborist assessing each job. Washoe Valley is about 25 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic; Spanish Springs about 53 and Cold Springs about 59. Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) for a free estimate. ### Sources - [Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: Defensible Space](https://tmfpd.us/defensible-space/) (read October 17, 2026) - [Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: Fall 2026 Curbside Chipping Program](https://tmfpd.us/2026/09/03/truckee-meadows-fire-rescue-announces-fall-2026-curbside-chipping-program/) (read October 17, 2026) - [Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: Wildland Fuels Reduction](https://tmfpd.us/wildland-fuels-reduction/) (read October 17, 2026) - [Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: Green Waste Disposal](https://tmfpd.us/green-waste-disposal/) (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 - [Reno, Sparks and the Truckee Meadows](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno-sparks/) - [Washoe Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/washoe-valley/) - [Spanish Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/spanish-springs/) - [Cold Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/cold-springs/) - [Washoe County burn codes explained](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/washoe-county-burn-codes/) - [Where tree debris and green waste go in Reno and Carson City](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-debris-and-green-waste-disposal/) ### Other fire districts - [North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District](https://battleborntreeservice.com/fire-districts/north-lake-tahoe-fpd/) - [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/) - [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/) ## Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District questions Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### How much defensible space does the district require? Its code table lists 30, 50 or 100 feet by hazard level, possibly 1.5 times that depending on water supply, and it can be increased by site analysis. Ask the district which applies. ### Is there free chipping? The district ran a free curbside program in fall 2026 for eligible residents, with requests closed on October 1. Watch the district site for future rounds. ### Where does green waste go? The district runs spring and fall drop-off days and says green waste can go to Waste Management drop-off sites year-round. ### Can I burn a brush pile? Not under the restrictions in force when we read the page. Check the district's burn status first.