---
title: Defensible Space in North Valleys and Stead | Battle Born
url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/defensible-space/
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/)
- [Service areas](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/)
- [the North Valleys and Stead](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/)
- Defensible space and fire mitigation

# Defensible space in the North Valleys and Stead (89506)

Defensible space in the North Valleys and Stead is mostly about grass and sagebrush, the fuel that surrounds both the older lots and the new tracts in ZIP 89506. Battle Born Tree Service mows and masticates brush with its own Bobcat T870 and prunes or removes the trees near the house, about 50 minutes from our yard without traffic.

ZIP 89506 mixes two kinds of neighborhood. About 30% of its homes were built before 1980 and about 49% in 2000 or later, and about 9% are manufactured homes. Each kind has its own fire work.

## At a glance

- Reservoir Fire (1999, 6,163 acres) centred about 5.8 miles away
- About 30% of homes built before 1980, about 49% since 2000
- Stead station: about 11 inches of precipitation a year
- Brush mower and masticating head on our own Bobcat

## Older lots and newer tracts: what differs?

Older lots mostly need dead wooding, limbing up and brush mowing, while newer tracts need shrub removal near the house and fence-line clearing. The arborist looks at what is actually on your lot.

| | Older lots | Newer subdivisions |
|---|---|---|
| Typical fuel | Mature trees, old shrubs, brush on unused ground | Foundation shrubs, mulch, grass beyond the fence |
| Main work | Dead wooding, limbing up, brush mowing | Shrub removal near the house, fence-line clearing |
| Equipment | Bobcat with mower or masticator, chipper | Hand crew and chipper |

The table is a general guide drawn from the housing ages in the Census data. Your lot may be either, or some of both. The arborist looks at what is there.

## Why is grass a serious fuel?

Dry grass lights easily and fire moves through it quickly, so it carries flame to heavier fuel such as sagebrush, fences and shrubs against a house. Keeping grass and weeds cut near buildings, and breaking brush into separated clumps farther out, slows that down.

The Living With Fire guide asks that the zone from 30 to 100 feet hold no dead or dried vegetation. On open ground that means mowing. See [lot clearing and brush mowing in the North Valleys](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/).

## What do the weather numbers say?

The Stead station is almost at the centre of the ZIP. It averages 10.97 inches of precipitation and 16.7 inches of snowfall a year, with an 85-degree average summer high (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). That is enough winter moisture to grow a grass crop each spring and enough summer heat to cure it.

## Which fires are mapped nearby?

The National Interagency Fire Center maps the Reservoir Fire of 1999 at 6,163 acres, centred about 5.8 miles from the middle of the ZIP, the Verdi Fire of 2006 (5,662 acres) about 6 miles and the Mitchell Canyon Fire of 1984 (9,469 acres) about 6.1 miles. The Balls Canyon Fire of 2007 (4,555 acres) is centred about 10 miles out.

The Forest Service has no record for a ZIP code. Washoe County's risk to homes ranks higher than 97.2% of US counties, and the nearby community of [Lemmon Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lemmon-valley/defensible-space/) ranks higher than 99.2% of US communities.

## What about manufactured homes?

The zones are measured the same way whatever the house is built of. Around any home, the first 5 feet should be clear of weeds, dead leaves and flammable shrubs, and that includes the ground along skirting and under steps and decks. We remove the vegetation and debris. Changes to the structure itself are outside what we do.

### Sources

- [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 89506](https://data.census.gov/) (retrieved October 1, 2026)
- [NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, Stead station](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (retrieved October 1, 2026)
- [National Interagency Fire Center, fire perimeter history (Reservoir 1999, Verdi 2006, Mitchell Canyon 1984, Balls Canyon 2007)](https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/) (retrieved October 1, 2026)
- [University of Nevada, Reno Extension: Living With Fire defensible space guide (SP-23-07)](https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=5522) (read October 1, 2026)

- **Drive from our yard:** about 50 min 41.6 miles

- **Elevation:** 5,075 ft USGS

- **USDA hardiness zone:** 7b 2023 map

- **Homes built before 1980:** 30% median year built 1999

Sources: drive time from our yard at 6301 US Highway 50 East, free-flow, OSRM / Census Geocoder; elevation, USGS 3DEP; hardiness zone, USDA 2023 map; housing figures, U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 five-year estimates; wildfire risk, USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026 data). Retrieved October 1, 2026.

### Rules here

Inside Reno city limits: no City permit for tree work on private property. Parts of ZIP 89506 are in unincorporated Washoe County, so confirm your jurisdiction.

Free inspections: the Living With Fire guide says to contact your local fire agency.

### Start here

- [About the service: Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/)
- [Tree service in the North Valleys and Stead](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/)

### 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)

### Related

- [North Valleys and Stead (89506)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/)
- [Lot clearing and brush mowing in the North Valleys and Stead](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/)
- [Brush mowing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/brush-mowing/)
- [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/)
- [Defensible space and fire mitigation in Lemmon Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lemmon-valley/defensible-space/)
- [What is defensible space? Zones 0, 1 and 2](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/what-is-defensible-space/)

## The three defensible space zones

- Zone 0: 0 to 5 feet. Ember-resistant zone. Nothing that burns against the house: clear dead leaves and needles, move firewood away, cut back branches that touch walls or hang over the roof.
- Zone 1: 5 to 30 feet. Lean, clean and green. Remove dead plants and ladder fuels, limb up trees, and break up continuous shrubs such as junipers.
- Zone 2: 30 to 100 feet. Reduced fuel. Thin crowded trees and brush so fire stays on the ground and slows down. This is where the brush mower and masticator work.

Zones from the University of Nevada, Reno Extension Living With Fire guide (2023). Your fire protection district may set its own rules.

## Other services in the North Valleys and Stead

[Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/tree-removal/) [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/tree-trimming/) [Stump grinding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/stump-grinding/) [Emergency tree service](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/emergency-tree-service/) [Lot clearing and brush mowing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Crane-assisted tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/crane-tree-removal/) [Certified arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/arborist/)

## Defensible space and fire mitigation in nearby towns

[Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/defensible-space/) [South Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/south-reno/defensible-space/) [Galena and Mt. Rose Highway](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/galena-mt-rose/defensible-space/) [Caughlin Ranch](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/caughlin-ranch/defensible-space/) [Northwest Reno and Somersett](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/northwest-reno/defensible-space/) [Spanish Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/spanish-springs/defensible-space/) [Sun Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/sun-valley/defensible-space/) [Lemmon Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lemmon-valley/defensible-space/) [Golden Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/golden-valley/defensible-space/) [Cold Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/cold-springs/defensible-space/) [Verdi](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/verdi/defensible-space/) [Washoe Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/washoe-valley/defensible-space/) [Palomino Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/palomino-valley/defensible-space/)

## Defensible space and fire mitigation questions in the North Valleys and Stead

Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week.

### Do you mow brush on acreage in the North Valleys?

Yes, with a Bobcat T870 fitted with a brush mower or masticating head. Estimates are free.

### Is Stead inside the City of Reno?

Parts of ZIP 89506 are in the city and parts are in unincorporated Washoe County. Check your parcel before relying on a city rule.

### When should grass and weeds be cut?

Once they have grown and before they are fully dry is the usual window. Dead material can be removed at any time.

### How far do you travel to reach Stead?

About 42 miles, about 50 minutes without traffic, from our yard in Carson City.