---
title: ANSI Z133: The Tree Work Safety Standard
url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/ansi-z133/
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/)
- [Arborist glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/)
- ANSI Z133

# What is ANSI Z133?

ANSI Z133 is the American National Standard for safety in arboricultural operations: the written rules for how tree crews should work so that people, property and bystanders are protected. It covers climbing, rigging, aerial lifts, chippers, chain saws, and work near energized electrical lines.

## Why it matters more than most people expect

Tree work ranks among the more dangerous kinds of outdoor work, and most of the danger comes from ordinary tasks done carelessly: cutting under tension, lowering a heavy section without control, working too close to a wire. Z133 turns the hard lessons into rules, such as how a crew must set up work areas, what protective gear is expected, and how close an unqualified person may work to a line.

In Northern Nevada the electrical part is the one to know. NV Energy states that unqualified people must stay 10 feet away from lines up to 50 kV, and that the service wire from the pole to your house is the owner's responsibility, not the utility's. A tree touching either is a stop-and-call situation, not a pruning project.

## Where homeowners can see it

You cannot read a safety standard off a job site, but you can see its effects: a marked-off [drop zone](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/drop-zone/), crew members in helmets and eye protection, ropes and [rigging](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/rigging/) that look maintained, a boom truck set up on [outriggers](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/outriggers/). It is fair to ask a crew how it covers each of these.

Z133 is voluntary like A300, and it is not a licence. It is a reasonable thing to ask about, along with proof of insurance. See [what to ask a tree service for as proof of insurance](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-service-proof-of-insurance/).

## How Battle Born uses it

The crew at Battle Born works with a crane, a 75-foot Altec GMC boom truck, chippers and loaders, equipment the standard exists to govern. We describe the work as utility and structure clearance, and we tell customers plainly that NV Energy handles its own primary lines. If anyone is hurt, call 911; if a line is involved, stay away and call NV Energy before calling us.

### Sources

- [International Society of Arboriculture: publications and standards (ANSI Z133)](https://www.isa-arbor.com/) (read October 17, 2026)
- [NV Energy: Tree trimming near power lines](https://www.nvenergy.com/tree) (read October 17, 2026)
- [NV Energy: Overhead Power Line Safety brochure ("Be Safe. Be Legal.", NRS 455.200-455.240)](https://www.nvenergy.com/publish/content/dam/nvenergy/brochures_arch/help/brochures/overhead_line_safety.pdf) (read October 17, 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

- [Arborist glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/)
- [Trees and power lines in NV Energy territory](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/trees-and-power-lines-nv-energy/)
- [Proof of insurance: what to ask a tree service for](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-service-proof-of-insurance/)
- [Utility and structure clearance](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/utility-structure-clearance/)

## See also

[ANSI A300](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/ansi-a300/) [Rigging](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/rigging/) [Outriggers](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/outriggers/) [Drop zone](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/drop-zone/)

## Pages that use this term

[How tree crews work safely: the ANSI Z133 basics](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/how-tree-crews-work-safely/) [Can you remove trees close to buildings in a busy complex?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/commercial-hoa-property-managers/tree-work-close-to-buildings-in-a-busy-complex/)