Tree removal in Incline Village, NV

Incline Village has about 7,800 housing units set in native conifer forest at about 6,437 feet. Here the forest came first and the houses were fitted between the trunks, so a removal is regulated, visible to the neighbors and usually close to a building.

At a glance

• TRPA permit for live trees over 14 inches DBH; 6 inches between a lakeshore house and the lake
• North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District evaluates defensible space
• About 61% of buildings in the direct wildfire exposure zone
• About 48 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic

Which Incline Village trees need a permit?

Live trees with a trunk over 14 inches across, measured 4.5 feet above the ground. On a lakeshore lot the limit drops to 6 inches for trees between the house and the lake. A dead tree that could fall on a house does not need a TRPA tree permit. Smaller live trees usually do not either, unless they were planted or kept as a condition of an earlier permit or stand in a stream zone. The checker on this page turns a tape measurement around the trunk into a diameter.

TRPA also regulates cutting live branches from the upper two-thirds of a tree, with exceptions near structures and for dead wood. The agency decides. Full details are in our Tahoe permit guide.

Where does the fire district come in?

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District covers Incline Village and Crystal Bay. For trees that should come out for defensible space, the district evaluates the property at no charge and issues the tree permit for that work. It is a good place to start. Once trees are marked, we can estimate the removal.

The need is real. The USDA Forest Service ranks Incline Village's wildfire risk to homes higher than 97.7% of US communities, and about 61% of buildings are in the direct exposure zone. The 2001 Martis Fire, mapped at 14,429 acres, is among the large fires mapped within about 10 miles. See defensible space in Incline Village.

How is a tall conifer removed between two houses?

From above when possible. With the crane, the climber attaches the line, makes the cut, and the operator lifts the section clear and sets it in the drop zone. The crew first works out where the crane can stand: slope, overhead obstacles and distance to the structures all count, and outriggers level the machine.

On lots a crane cannot reach, a climber rigs the tree down in short lengths.

Homes from the 1960s and 1970s under old trees

About 47% of Incline Village homes were built before 1980, and the median dates from 1981 (American Community Survey). Decks, additions and driveways have been built around trunks for half a century. A tree that was a comfortable distance from the first cabin may now be inches from the eaves of its replacement.

Season and access

The Incline Village weather station records an average annual temperature of about 46 degrees. No snowfall normal is published for the Nevada side. Tahoe City, across the lake, averages 179 inches. Winter narrows the roads and buries driveways, so describe your access when you call. We also offer snow removal in Incline Village; ask whether your address is on the snow route when you call.