Lot clearing before building in Lyon and Douglas counties

Builders and land owners in Dayton, Johnson Lane, Genoa, Minden and Gardnerville often start with a lot of brush, a few trees and no clear idea of sequence. This guide gives an order that works.

Why these two counties

USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities puts risk to homes in Dayton higher than 98.9% of US communities, Johnson Lane 98.3%, Genoa 97.4% and Minden 91.3%. County figures are 97.3 for Douglas and 93.0 for Lyon. In Genoa, 75.4% of buildings are in the direct-exposure zone. Only 10.4% of Dayton's homes were built before 1980, so much of the growth there is new construction next to open brush.

Who has to approve lot clearing before you build?

Contact the county building or planning department for your parcel and ask what is required before clearing or grading. Ask the fire protection agency for its requirements for the lot. If the lot is in an HOA or a master-planned area, check its rules too. We can tell you what we have seen on jobs, but the agency decides.

Step 2: mark what stays

Walk the lot and flag the trees to keep, usually healthy ones outside the future building footprint, driveway and septic area. A certified arborist can look at the keepers. A tree that is fine standing alone in open ground may become a hazard once a house is next to it.

Step 3: clear the brush

Brush mowing handles grass and light brush; masticating handles dense brush and small trees, on our Bobcat T870. See mastication vs brush mowing vs hand clearing. For fire, aim for reduced and separated fuel, per University of Nevada, Reno Extension, not bare ground.

Step 4: trees, stumps and debris

Trees you are not keeping can be removed, with the crane on large ones. Stump grinding comes next, and the backhoe and skid steer handle grading prep and debris. Call 811 before any digging or grinding below grade. We chip limbs and haul debris.

Step 5: plan the defensible space

The best time to set up Zones 0, 1 and 2 is before the foundation goes in: keep the first 5 feet hardscaped, leave island plantings in the next 25 feet, and keep trees separated out to 100 feet. See what is defensible space.

When is the best time to clear a lot?

Clearing in late winter or early spring, before the grass dries, keeps a construction site from becoming a fuel bed. University of Nevada, Reno Extension notes that plants are dormant in fall and winter and can burn easily, so a pile of cleared brush left on the lot through the dry months is a hazard of your own making. Haul it, chip it or have it processed on site, and ask your fire agency how it wants slash handled. Outside incorporated cities, burning needs a written permit under NRS 472.520.

Get a quote

Call 775.232.8243 for a free estimate. Our builders and land owners page explains how we work with contractors.