Frequently Asked Questions

For a tree in the public right-of-way or on city property, yes: the City of Reno requires a Tree Work Permit before removal, pruning or planting, and issues removal permits only for trees that are dead, diseased or a public safety hazard. Call Urban Forestry at 775-321-8373 to request the inspection. For trees on your own lot, the city's tree permit does not apply, but check your HOA rules and any landscape conditions tied to your subdivision.

Street trees between the sidewalk and the curb are often city trees, but not always. Reno Urban Forestry can confirm whether a tree is public or private. We look at this during the estimate and will tell you if a tree appears to be on city property before we quote.

It depends on the tree's height, what it stands over and how hard it is to reach. Homeyou's 2026 Reno figures put a medium tree removal at about $552 to $748 and pruning at about $375 to $525, with trees over 60 feet around $1,000 or more. National guides such as Lawn Love put most removals between about $385 and $1,070. We give a written price after seeing the tree.

NV Energy prunes trees growing toward the high-voltage lines that run between poles, at no cost to you; its northern Nevada tree pruning line is (775) 834-4444. The service line that runs from the pole to your house is the owner's responsibility. If branches are touching any line, call NV Energy before anyone climbs the tree.

Not automatically. Reno no longer plants Siberian elm on city property because of elm leaf beetle, limb failure and invasive roots, but the city does not require removing a healthy one on private land. Large ones over a roof or driveway with dead limbs, deep cracks or heavy decay are good removal candidates; sound ones can often be pruned to reduce weight instead.

The City of Reno suggests talking with your neighbor first and having the tree looked at, because pruning overhanging limbs can create liability if the tree is damaged or dies. If the neighbor agrees, we can quote pruning that keeps the tree healthy. If they will not cooperate, the city suggests contacting your homeowner's insurance agent.

Yes. Our quotes say plainly whether logs and brush are hauled, left in firewood lengths or chipped on site, so you can choose. If you heat with wood, keep firewood more than 30 feet from the house, which is what Living With Fire recommends.

Late winter, while most deciduous trees are dormant, is a good time for structural pruning because you can see the branch structure and there is less stress on the tree. Dead, cracked or hanging limbs should come out whenever you notice them, especially before windy season. Avoid heavy pruning during the hottest, driest part of summer.

The City of Reno's Tree Work Permit covers trees in the public right-of-way and on city property. For a tree on your own lot, check your HOA's rules and any landscape conditions tied to your subdivision before removal. If you are not sure where the property line or right-of-way is, Urban Forestry at 775-321-8373 can tell you whether a tree is public or private.

Often, yes. Dead wood is brittle, so it cannot always be climbed or rigged the normal way, and more of the work may need a lift or more careful lowering. In Reno's dry air, a dead tree loses strength quickly, which is why it is cheaper and safer to remove it soon after it dies.

We plan the drop zone and the path for equipment before work starts, lower pieces instead of dropping them near beds and hardscape, and use mats or plywood where heavy equipment crosses turf. Rock beds are raked clean of sawdust and chips afterward.

If you want it. Logs can be cut to stove length and stacked where you choose, or everything can be hauled away. Living With Fire recommends keeping firewood more than 30 feet from the house.

Only if it is on the quote. Removal leaves a stump cut close to the ground; grinding it below grade is a separate line, so you can decide whether you want it done.

Young trees benefit from light structural pruning every couple of years. Mature trees usually need work every three to five years, sooner for fast, weak-wooded species like Siberian elm, cottonwood and silver maple. Dead or cracked limbs should come out whenever you see them.

We do not top trees. Topping produces weakly attached regrowth and often kills the tree, which is why the City of Reno does not allow it on city trees. Crown reduction can lower a tree's height correctly, and if a tree is simply too big for its spot, removal and replanting is usually the better choice.

Pruning removes dead and weak wood from a beetle-stressed elm and reduces the risk of limbs breaking, but it does not control the beetle. University of Nevada Extension says summer watering helps elms tolerate the beetle, and chemical control is work for a licensed pesticide applicator.

We can prune near the service line that runs from the pole to your house, which is the owner's responsibility, as long as branches are not touching it. For the high-voltage lines between poles, call NV Energy at (775) 834-4444; it prunes those trees at no cost.

Light pruning, deadwood removal and clearance work are fine in summer. Heavy pruning is better in late winter, because a drought-stressed tree needs its leaves through Reno's hot, dry summer.

Usually several inches below the soil surface, enough for lawn, rock or a bed. If you plan to plant a tree in the same spot, ask for deeper grinding and chip removal. The depth is written on the quote.

Most trees will not regrow once the stump is ground. Some species that sucker from their roots, such as Siberian elm, cottonwood and Russian olive, can still send up shoots for a season or two; cutting them off as they appear usually ends it.

Usually. Smaller grinders fit through standard side-yard gates. Tell us the narrowest opening on the way to the stump, and whether there are steps or a slope, and we will plan around it.

811 marks utility lines but not private irrigation. Point out where your sprinkler pipe and drip lines run near the stump, and we will grind around them where possible and tell you beforehand if any will need repair.

Usually, yes. Grinding leaves the deep roots to decay in place, while digging out the whole root system takes much more labor and leaves a large hole. Lawn Love puts full root removal at about $2 to $4 per inch of diameter on top of the stump work.

Keep everyone, including pets, well away from the tree and the line, and call NV Energy right away. Do not touch the tree or try to cut it. Once NV Energy has made the line safe, we can remove the tree.

Many homeowner's policies cover removing a tree that falls on an insured structure such as the house or a fence, often up to a set limit, but usually not a tree that falls in the open yard without hitting anything. Check your policy and call your agent; our written quote and your photos help with the claim.

After a major storm, city crews may clear obstructions from streets and the right-of-way and pick up limbs in the street. Trees and limbs on private property are the owner's responsibility.

You can call (775) 600-6504 at any time to leave details, and storm calls are handled in order of danger. After a big wind event, many people call at once, so trees on occupied homes and blocked exits come first.

Look for new cracks at forks or in the trunk, a fresh lean, soil or lawn lifted on the side away from the lean, and broken limbs hanging in the crown. Any of those means the tree should be looked at before the next wind.

Living With Fire recommends trees about 10 feet from the house and about 10 feet between trees, with trees within 10 feet of the home limbed up. In pine areas it recommends spacing individual trees or clumps 10 to 30 feet apart.

Not all of them, but Living With Fire describes ornamental junipers as extremely flammable, so the ones against the house, under windows, near decks and beside propane tanks are the first to remove. Junipers further out can often be kept if they are separated from other fuel.

For live trees in the outer zone, Living With Fire suggests pruning lower branches to about 10 feet above the ground, without removing more than one-third of the tree's height. Smaller trees are limbed in proportion.

Not if fire is the reason for the work. Cut brush that dries in place becomes new fuel. Our quotes include chipping and hauling material away, and we keep chips away from the ember-resistant strip right next to the house.

Before fire season, from late fall through spring, when trees are dormant, it is cooler to work on slopes and the yard is ready by summer. Dead trees should come out whenever you notice them.

Top-down browning in a Reno pine is often a sign of bark beetles in a drought-stressed tree, though root damage and severe water stress can look similar. Look for small pitch tubes or fine boring dust on the bark. Because beetles can move to nearby pines, it is worth having it checked soon.

Probably not, if it leafs out again in spring. The City of Reno and University of Nevada Extension both point to elm leaf beetle, which skeletonizes leaves on Siberian elms in mid to late summer. Deep summer watering helps the tree tolerate it, and treatment is for a licensed pesticide applicator.

Warning signs include a new or increasing lean, cracks in the trunk or at forks, fungi or soft wood at the base, large dead limbs and roots lifting on one side. A tree with these signs and something valuable underneath it should be looked at soon.

No. Pesticide treatments in Nevada are done by licensed pesticide applicators. If a tree would benefit from treatment, we will tell you, and we handle any pruning or removal it needs.

Mature trees need water spread out toward and beyond the drip line, not just a few emitters at the trunk. Deep, slow, less frequent watering over the root zone during the growing season is better than frequent shallow watering. The City of Reno's tree FAQ points homeowners to University of Nevada Extension and the Truckee Meadows Community Forestry Coalition for local advice.