--- title: Defensible Space Evaluations and Chipping Programs url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/free-defensible-space-evaluations-chipping/ 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/) - [The Field Guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/) - Free defensible space evaluations and chipping programs by fire district # Defensible space evaluations and chipping programs by fire district Your local fire protection agency is the place to ask for a defensible space evaluation, and University of Nevada, Reno Extension directs homeowners there. Availability, cost, chipping help and schedules differ by district and year, so call before you book work. Key takeaways - Start with your fire district; it knows your zone, your rules and your local programs. - In the Tahoe Basin, fire districts evaluate properties and issue defensible-space tree permits: NLTFPD for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, Tahoe Douglas FPD for the Nevada south shore. - The Nevada Division of Forestry runs the Fire Adapted Nevada program and reports 46 active Firewise USA sites in 2025. - Ask whether chipping help exists this year before paying for chipping. Several agencies offer evaluations. We do not know the current terms of programs we do not run, so this guide tells you whom to call and what to ask. ## Who does a defensible space evaluation? The Living With Fire guide points homeowners to their local fire agency for a defensible space inspection. At Lake Tahoe, TRPA directs you to your local fire protection agency for permitting and a full defensible space evaluation. The agencies are the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District for Incline Village and Crystal Bay and the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District for the Nevada south shore. In Carson City, Reno, Sparks and the valleys, ask the fire department or district that covers your address. The Nevada Division of Forestry lists a Fire Adapted Nevada program and reports 46 active Firewise USA sites and 113 community risk assessments completed in 2025. ## Questions to ask - Do you do an on-site evaluation for my address, and is there a cost? - What do you want done in each zone, and by what date? - Do you issue the tree permit, or does another agency? - Is there a chipping or green-waste program this year, and what are the rules for the piles? - Does the district have a plant list or a mulch rule? ## What an evaluation does not do An evaluation tells you what the agency expects. It is not a promise that a house will survive a fire, and it is not an insurance document. See [insurance and defensible space](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/insurance-and-defensible-space/) for what to ask your carrier. ## Do you need a permit to remove a tree at Lake Tahoe? At Lake Tahoe, live trees over 14 inches in diameter at breast height need a TRPA permit, and 6 inches on lakeshore lots between the house and the lake. A dead tree that could fall on a house does not need a TRPA permit. For defensible space, the fire protection districts issue the tree permits after their evaluation. Our [Tahoe permit guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tahoe-tree-removal-permits-dbh/) explains how to measure DBH. ## Chipping programs Some communities run chipping days or drop-offs, and some do not. We have no verified list of current programs, so we will not name one. Ask the fire district. If no program covers your lot, a crew with a chipper and chip truck can do the work, or a masticator can handle brush on larger parcels. ## Bring photos and a site plan When you call, have your address, a rough sketch of the lot and photos of the vegetation close to the house. An evaluator can then tell you what matters most, and you can pass the same notes to a contractor so every bid covers the same work. Ask for the evaluation findings in writing, because they double as a work list and a record. ## Doing the work After the evaluation you can do the work yourself, hire us, or split it. We do defensible space and fire mitigation, brush mowing, masticating, tree trimming and haul-off, and a certified arborist assesses the trees. Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) for a free estimate. ### Sources - [University of Nevada, Reno Extension: Living With Fire (SP-23-07)](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=5522) (read October 17, 2026) - [Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: Trees and Defensible Space](https://www.trpa.gov/trees-and-defensible-space/) (read October 17, 2026) - [Nevada Division of Forestry (home page, Fire Adapted Nevada and Firewise USA)](https://forestry.nv.gov/) (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 - [What is defensible space? Zones 0, 1 and 2](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/) - [Home insurance and defensible space: what carriers ask for](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/insurance-and-defensible-space/) - [Tahoe tree removal permits: the 14-inch rule and how to measure DBH](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tahoe-tree-removal-permits-dbh/) - [Lake Tahoe, Nevada side](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lake-tahoe-nevada/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) - [Defensible space and fire questions](https://battleborntreeservice.com/faq/defensible-space-and-fire/) ### Terms on this page [TRPA (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/trpa/) [DBH (diameter at breast height)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/dbh/) [Arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/arborist/) [The full glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/) ### Fire districts in our area - [All fire districts](https://battleborntreeservice.com/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/) - [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/) ## More from the blog Pruning and care October 17, 2026 5 min read ### What should you do with your trees in October in Carson City and Reno? In October, finish watering while the ground is open, look over your trees for dead or hanging limbs, and clear leaves and needles away from the house. Save most live-wood pruning for the dormant seas Pruning and care October 17, 2026 6 min read ### Young trees in new subdivisions: the first ten years A young tree in a new subdivision needs very little pruning in its first two or three years, then steady structural pruning to build one strong central trunk and well-spaced branches. The ISA says tre Removal and equipment October 17, 2026 6 min read ### Where tree debris and green waste go in Reno and Carson City Green waste has a few legitimate homes in our area: the landfill or transfer station if the load is only wood and green waste, a fire district drop-off day or curbside chipping program if you qualify, [All posts](https://battleborntreeservice.com/blog/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Is the evaluation free? Ask your district. We cannot promise it for every agency. ### Do I need a permit to remove trees for defensible space? In the Tahoe Basin, the fire protection agencies issue defensible space tree permits. Elsewhere in Northern Nevada, we have not found a private-tree permit in Reno, Sparks or Carson City; confirm with your agency. ### Will you chip my brush? Yes, as a paid service on request. Ask for a free estimate. ### Can the fire district tell me what plants to remove? Yes. The agency can say what it expects on your lot.