Emergency tree service in Incline Village, NV

Incline Village sits at about 6,400 feet on Lake Tahoe's north shore, under tall native conifers. Snow, wind and saturated ground are what bring them down, and many of the houses they land on are empty when it happens.

At a glance

• About 61% of Incline Village buildings stand in or beside wildland forest (USDA Forest Service)
• About 7,800 housing units but only about 4,000 year-round households
• A dead tree that could fall on a house needs no TRPA permit
• About 48 minutes from our yard without traffic or winter road controls

What if the tree falls while you are away?

The Census Bureau counts about 7,800 housing units in Incline Village and about 4,000 households living in them (ACS 2020-2024). Roughly half the homes are second homes or rentals, so the person who finds the tree on the roof is often a neighbor, a property manager or a snow removal driver.

If that is your situation, we can work with whoever is on site. Give the office the address, the name and number of the person with access, and anything you know about what the tree is resting on. Ask that person to take photos from a safe distance for you and your insurer. The estimate is free, and it is written for the job in front of us.

Do you need a TRPA permit to remove a tree after a storm?

Incline Village is inside the Lake Tahoe Basin, where the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) requires a permit to remove a live tree over 14 inches in diameter at breast height. TRPA's own guidance says a dead tree that could fall on a house does not require a permit.

A live tree that is cracked, hung up or half uprooted but still standing is the gray area. Take photos, and contact TRPA or the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District before it is removed unless it is an immediate danger. The agency decides. Our Tahoe permit guide shows how to measure the trunk.

How does a tree come off a mountain house?

Incline lots are steep and the houses are tall, with decks, railings and glass facing the lake. Dragging a trunk across that does more harm. Where our crane can set up, it lifts the tree off in sections and swings each one to a landing spot. Where it cannot, a climber takes the tree apart by hand.

The office will ask about the driveway: how steep, how wide, and whether it has been plowed. Clearing roads and driveways is part of our emergency work, and snow removal is one of our winter services; ask whether your address is on the snow route when you call.

How far is the drive, really?

The town center is about 31 miles from our yard at 6301 US Highway 50 East, about 48 minutes without traffic. The route climbs over the Carson Range, and in a storm the highway controls set the pace for every truck on the road. We do not promise an arrival time. We do answer the phone: the line is staffed seven days a week and emergency service is offered around the clock.

What about the limbs still hanging in the tree?

Broken tops and limbs lodged in the canopy after a storm are a hazard to anyone walking under them. Keep the area below closed off until an arborist has looked. See widow-makers and hanging limbs after a wind storm.