--- title: Utility and Structure Clearance Pruning | Nevada url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/utility-structure-clearance/ 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/) - [Tree services](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/) - [Pruning and tree care](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-care/) - Utility and structure clearance # Utility and structure clearance Utility and structure clearance is pruning that moves tree branches back from roofs, chimneys, walls, driveways, signs and the lines on a property. Battle Born Tree Service plans the cuts with a certified arborist; NV Energy handles trees in its own primary power lines. 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. | Line | Who deals with the trees | |---|---| | Primary lines, pole to pole | NV Energy. Request it through NV Energy's tree page | | Service line, pole to house | The property owner. Call NV Energy and call us before anything is cut | | A tree or limb on any line, or a line down | Stay away. Call NV Energy, and 911 if there is fire or anyone is in danger | There is more in [trees and power lines in NV Energy territory](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/trees-and-power-lines-nv-energy/). ## 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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-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](https://battleborntreeservice.com/who-we-serve/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. ### Sources - [NV Energy: Trees and power lines](https://www.nvenergy.com/tree) (read 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) - [Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: Trees and Defensible Space](https://www.trpa.gov/trees-and-defensible-space/) (read October 1, 2026) ### What is included - A walk of the building and the trees with an arborist - Branches pruned back to a proper side branch, not stubbed - Dead wood over the structure removed - Chipping and clean-up ### Equipment we bring - 75-foot Altec boom truck - Aerial lift - Chipper and 2017 Ford F550 chip truck ### 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 - [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-trimming-pruning/) - [Dead wooding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/dead-wooding/) - [Defensible space and fire mitigation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/defensible-space-fire-mitigation/) - [Trees and power lines in NV Energy territory](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/trees-and-power-lines-nv-energy/) - [Crown thinning, raising and reduction: what each means](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/crown-thinning-raising-reduction/) - [Tree service for commercial properties](https://battleborntreeservice.com/who-we-serve/commercial-properties/) ## Related services - [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-trimming-pruning/) - [Dead wooding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/dead-wooding/) - [Tree cabling and bracing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/cabling-bracing/) - [Arborist consultation](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/arborist-consultation/) - [Root barriers](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/root-barriers/) ## Utility and structure clearance questions Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Will NV Energy trim the tree by my house for free? NV Energy maintains its own primary lines and you can request a check through its tree page. The line from the pole to your house is the owner's responsibility. ### Can you prune a tree that is touching a power line? Call NV Energy first. If a tree is in contact with any line, nobody should touch it until the utility has dealt with the line. We plan the tree work around that. ### How far should branches be from my roof? Far enough that they do not touch in wind and do not drop litter on the roof. The exact distance depends on the tree, and the arborist will recommend it on site. ### Will clearance pruning harm the tree? Done with proper cuts, it should not. Problems come from stubbing limbs or stripping one side of a tree. That is why an arborist plans the work.