--- title: Wildfire Risk to Homes in Northern Nevada: The Numbers url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/wildfire-risk-to-homes-northern-nevada/ 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/) - Wildfire risk to homes in Northern Nevada: what the numbers say # Wildfire risk to homes in Northern Nevada: what the numbers say The US Forest Service rates risk to homes in Carson City higher than 98.5% of US communities and higher than 86% of Nevada communities. Most Northern Nevada towns rank in the top few percent nationally. Key takeaways - Carson City: higher than 98.5% of US communities; 10.3% of buildings in the direct-exposure zone. - Lemmon Valley 99.2, Dayton 98.9, Spanish Springs 98.6, Reno 97.7 and Incline Village 97.7 (US percentile). - FEMA rates wildfire risk Relatively High in Washoe and Douglas counties and Relatively Moderate in Carson City. - Fallon (31st percentile) and Yerington (62nd) are at the low end. These figures come from the USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities data, dated April 15, 2026. A percentile ranks places against each other. It does not predict a fire at any one house. ## Selected communities | Community | Risk to homes, US percentile | Buildings directly exposed | |---|---|---| | Lemmon Valley | 99.2 | 45.3% | | Dayton | 98.9 | 27.4% | | Spanish Springs | 98.6 | 32.0% | | Carson City | 98.5 | 10.3% | | Zephyr Cove | 98.0 | 30.3% | | Kingsbury | 97.9 | 53.0% | | Reno | 97.7 | 5.0% | | Incline Village | 97.7 | 61.0% | ## What does the wildfire risk number measure? The score ranks places by risk to homes. A 98.5 means higher risk to homes than 98.5% of US communities. The USFS also splits buildings by exposure: direct exposure means the building is in or next to burnable vegetation, and indirect means it is farther away but still reachable, for example by embers. Place scores cover cities and towns. ZIP-code neighborhoods like Galena (89511) or Caughlin Ranch (89519) have no record of their own, so use the parent city or county figure and say so. ## County view County risk-to-homes percentiles: Storey 98.3, Carson City 98.3, Douglas 97.3, Washoe 97.2, Lyon 93.0. FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates wildfire risk Relatively High in Washoe and Douglas, and Relatively Moderate in Carson City, Lyon and Storey. ## Which communities have lower wildfire risk? Fallon scores at the 31st US percentile, Hawthorne 52nd and Yerington 62nd. Low is relative: a lot on the edge of any open land can still burn, and these towns are outside the areas where we do fire mitigation work. ## How to read the two exposure columns The two columns in the table answer different questions. The percentile compares one community with the rest of the country. The direct-exposure share tells you how much of that community's housing stands in or next to burnable vegetation. Incline Village is at 97.7 with 61.0% of buildings directly exposed, while Reno is also at 97.7 with 5.0%. Same rank, very different neighborhoods. For your own house, the lot in front of you matters more than either number. The figures are USFS modeled estimates, so treat them as a way to compare places and to decide where to start, not as a prediction. Glenbrook has the highest direct-exposure share in our data at 98.9%, and Washoe Valley is next at 93.7%. ## Limits of the data The scores are modeled estimates, built by the Forest Service from vegetation, terrain, climate and housing data. The results are most useful for comparing places and for deciding which of your neighbors' concerns to take seriously. They do not account for the work you have done on your own lot, and they cannot say whether a particular roof or fence will catch an ember. ## What to do with a number A high percentile is a reason to work the zones: clear the first 5 feet, thin the next 25, and reduce fuel out to 100 feet. See [what is defensible space](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/). For the full table, see our [wildfire risk by community](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/wildfire-risk-by-community/) data page. Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) for a free estimate. ### Sources - [USDA Forest Service: Wildfire Risk to Communities (data dated April 15, 2026)](https://wildfirerisk.org/) (data recorded October 1, 2026) - [FEMA: National Risk Index (December 2025 release)](https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/products-tools/national-risk-index) (data recorded 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 - [Wildfire risk to homes by community in Northern Nevada](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/wildfire-risk-by-community/) - [Large wildfires near Carson City, Reno and Lake Tahoe since 1980](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/large-wildfires-since-1980/) - [Lessons for homeowners from the Davis, Caldor, Tamarack and Waterfall fires](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/lessons-from-local-wildfires/) - [What is defensible space? Zones 0, 1 and 2](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/) - [Carson City](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/carson-city/) - [Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/) ## 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. ### What does the 98.5 percentile mean for Carson City? Risk to homes is higher than in 98.5% of US communities, per the USFS data. ### Does a high score mean my house will burn? No. It ranks places. Your lot, plants and building materials matter a lot. ### Why do the Reno and Carson City numbers differ? Different vegetation, terrain and amounts of housing near burnable land. In the USFS data, 5.0% of Reno's buildings are in the direct-exposure zone and 10.3% of Carson City's. ### Where does the data come from? USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities, April 2026 data, and FEMA's National Risk Index, December 2025 release.