Utility and structure clearance

Trees and buildings grow toward each other. A branch that cleared the eave five years ago now scrapes the shingles in every wind, and the limb over the driveway catches the delivery truck. Clearance pruning gives the building its space back without butchering the tree.

At a glance

• Clearance from roofs, chimneys, walls, signs and lights
• Driveway, parking lot and walkway clearance
• 75-foot boom truck and aerial lift
• Planned by an ISA Certified Arborist
• Residential and commercial properties
• Free estimate

What does structure clearance cover?

Structure clearance covers branches touching or hanging over roofs, chimneys, siding, gutters, windows, solar panels, driveways, signs, lights, cameras, fences and sheds. The list below gives each case.

• Branches touching or hanging over a roof
• Limbs near a chimney or a flue outlet
• Branches rubbing siding, gutters, windows or solar panels
• Low limbs over driveways, parking stalls and loading areas
• Branches blocking signs, lights, cameras and sight lines at entries
• Limbs over fences, sheds and neighboring buildings

The cuts are pruning cuts. A limb is taken back to a side branch that can carry on growing, so the tree keeps its shape and does not answer with a thicket of weak sprouts. How far to clear depends on the species and how fast it grows, and the arborist sets that in the estimate.

Who is responsible for trees near power lines?

It depends on which wire. NV Energy maintains clearance around its own primary lines, the high ones that run pole to pole, and you can ask it to look at a tree through its tree page. The service line that runs from the pole to your house is different: clearing trees from that line is the property owner's responsibility.

For safety, people who are not qualified line workers must stay at least 10 feet from overhead lines of up to 50 kilovolts, and that includes ladders, pole saws and the branches being cut. Do not prune near any line yourself.

There is more in trees and power lines in NV Energy territory.

Why clear a roof before fire season?

A branch over the roof drops needles and leaves into the gutters, and that litter is what embers light. The University of Nevada, Reno Extension's Living With Fire guide calls the first 5 feet around a house Zone 0, the ember-resistant zone, and asks for dead leaves and pine needles to be removed from it. Clearance pruning is the tree side of that job. The rest is on our defensible space and fire mitigation page.

Clearance for businesses, HOAs and property managers

Commercial sites have more to keep clear: truck routes, parking lots, signs, light poles, cameras and the roofs of long buildings. We prune for businesses, property managers and homeowner associations, and the estimate can cover a whole property in one plan. See tree service for commercial properties.

Clearance pruning in the Tahoe Basin

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency requires a permit to remove branches from the upper two-thirds of a tree, with exceptions that match clearance work closely: branches within 10 feet of a chimney outlet, building or deck, branches rubbing or pulling on utility lines within your property boundary, and dead branches. TRPA also says to consult your power company before removing branches near utility lines.