--- title: Lot Clearing and Brush Mowing in Reno, NV url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/ 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/) - [Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/) - Lot clearing and brush mowing # Lot clearing and brush mowing in Reno, NV Lot clearing in Reno starts with one question the other towns do not ask: is this a development site? Reno's municipal code has a tree protection ordinance for those, so trees are sorted before brush is cut. Battle Born Tree Service clears and mows Reno parcels with its own track loader, masticating head and dump trucks, and a certified arborist does the tree sorting. Reno is the largest city we work in, with about 273,000 residents on about 109 square miles of land. Most of that is built. The clearing work is at the seams: infill lots, hillside parcels on the edges, and strips of brush between a neighborhood and open country. ## At a glance - Reno code Chapter 18.12, Article V covers tree protection on development sites - No City permit to remove a tree on private property outside development review - 5% of Reno buildings in the direct exposure zone, about 42% indirect - About 43 minutes from our Carson City yard ## What does Reno's tree ordinance mean for a lot? The Truckee Meadows Water Authority's summary of local tree ordinances says the City of Reno has a tree protection ordinance in Chapter 18.12, Article V of its municipal code, covering tree preservation criteria, tree credits, replacement of trees and penalties for removal, and tree mitigation plans. Title 18 is the part of the code that governs land development. So if you are clearing in order to build, ask the City's planning staff what applies to your parcel before any tree comes down. Removing a tree first and asking later is the wrong order. Outside of development review, Reno's Urban Forestry FAQ says no permit is needed to remove, prune or plant a tree on private property. ## How an arborist helps before the machines arrive A tree plan needs someone to say which trees are sound. Battle Born Tree Service has two ISA Certified Arborists on staff (ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A). On a Reno lot the arborist can walk the parcel, tell you which trees are healthy and well placed, and which are dead, failing or in the footprint. That is an [arborist consultation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/arborist-consultation/), and it gives you and your designer something to plan with. The City decides what its code requires. We give you the facts about the trees. ## Where is brush mowing useful in a city this built up? On the edges. The USDA Forest Service ranks Reno's wildfire risk to homes higher than 97.7% of US communities, but it places 52.6% of the city's buildings in the minimal exposure zone and only 5.0% in the direct zone. The risk is concentrated where streets meet sagebrush. If your back fence faces a slope or a drainage, the band of grass and brush on your side of the line is the piece you control. [Brush mowing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/brush-mowing/) cuts it to stubble. Ground that belongs to an association, the City or a neighbor is theirs to maintain, and we work on it only at the request of whoever owns it. ## Fires on the Reno map The National Interagency Fire Center maps the Poeville Road Fire of 2020 at 2,973 acres, centred about 5.5 miles from downtown, the Arrowcreek Fire of 2000 at 2,788 acres, about 6.1 miles away, and the Verdi Fire of 2006 at 5,662 acres, about 7 miles away. In all, 34 perimeter records of 300 acres or more have centres within about 10 miles of the city centre. ## Getting equipment to a Reno job Our yard is in Carson City, about 33.5 miles and about 43 minutes from central Reno without traffic. Clearing equipment travels by truck and trailer, so we plan Reno work to finish in as few trips as the parcel allows. A clear description when you call helps: the size of the lot, the slope, what is growing on it and how a truck gets in. For neighborhoods on the south and west edges, see the pages for [Galena and Mt. Rose Highway](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/galena-mt-rose/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) and [Verdi](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/verdi/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/). ### Sources - [Truckee Meadows Water Authority: Local Tree Ordinances](https://tmwa.com/article/local-tree-ordinances/) (read October 1, 2026) - [City of Reno Urban Forestry: Tree FAQs](https://www.reno.gov/parks-and-recreation/parks-facilities/urban-forestry/tree-faqs.php) (read October 17, 2026) - [USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities (tabular download)](https://wildfirerisk.org/download/) (April 2026 data, read October 1, 2026) - [National Interagency Fire Center, fire perimeter history](https://data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com/) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, Reno city, Nevada](https://data.census.gov/) (retrieved October 1, 2026) - **Drive from our yard:** about 43 min 33.5 miles - **Elevation:** 4,505 ft USGS - **USDA hardiness zone:** 7b 2023 map - **Homes built before 1980:** 37% median year built 1990 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 Development sites: tree protection under Reno Municipal Code Chapter 18.12, Article V. Ask City planning staff before clearing trees from a lot you intend to build on. Private property outside development review: no City permit to remove, prune or plant. City right-of-way or City property: a Tree Work Permit and a Certified Arborist are required. Reno Urban Forestry, 775-321-8373. ### Start here - [About the service: Lot clearing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/lot-clearing/) - [Tree service in Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/) ### 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 - [Lot clearing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/lot-clearing/) - [Arborist consultation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/arborist-consultation/) - [Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation in Reno](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/defensible-space/) - [Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Northern Nevada?](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/tree-removal-permits-northern-nevada/) - [Tree rules by jurisdiction: permits, rights-of-way and Lake Tahoe](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/tree-rules-by-jurisdiction/) ## Other services in Reno [Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/tree-removal/) [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/tree-trimming/) [Stump grinding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/stump-grinding/) [Emergency tree service](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/emergency-tree-service/) [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/defensible-space/) [Crane-assisted tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/crane-tree-removal/) [Certified arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/arborist/) [Snow removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/snow-removal/) [Firewood](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/reno/firewood/) ## Lot clearing and brush mowing in nearby towns [Galena and Mt. Rose Highway](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/galena-mt-rose/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [the North Valleys and Stead](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/north-valleys/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Spanish Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/spanish-springs/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Lemmon Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/lemmon-valley/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Golden Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/golden-valley/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Cold Springs](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/cold-springs/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Verdi](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/verdi/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Washoe Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/washoe-valley/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) [Palomino Valley](https://battleborntreeservice.com/service-areas/palomino-valley/lot-clearing-brush-mowing/) ## Lot clearing and brush mowing questions in Reno Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Do I need a permit to clear trees from a lot in Reno? On a development site, Reno's tree protection ordinance (Chapter 18.12, Article V) may apply, so ask City planning staff first. Otherwise Reno does not require a permit to remove a tree on private property. The City decides which case your lot is. ### Can you mow the open space behind my Reno house? Only if it is your land, or the owner of that ground asks us to. On your own side of the fence we can mow and thin as far as your lot line. ### Will your arborist write up the trees for my Reno building plans? Our arborists offer basic and in-depth consultations and personalized proposals. Ask the City or your designer what the submittal needs, and tell us when you call. ### How long is the drive from your yard to Reno? About 43 minutes without traffic, about 33.5 miles.