Las Vegas, Nevada
Tree Removal and Tree Service in Las Vegas
Las Vegas reached 120 degrees for the first time in July 2024. Mature pines, ash and other trees planted decades ago are dying across the valley, and most stand in small walled yards beside a neighbor's pool.
- County
- Clark
- Tree rules
- Nevada State Contractors Board for licensing. HOA rules in most communities.
- Key local rule
- No city permit for private trees. Tree work above the small-job limit requires a licensed contractor.
- Electric utility
- NV Energy
- Main hazards
- Extreme heat, water stress, monsoon and frontal wind
Is my Las Vegas tree dying or just stressed?
Look at the branch tips. If the newest growth is green and flexible, the tree is stressed and may respond to better watering. If the tips are brown and brittle across the top of the tree, that part is dead and will not return.
- Pines
- Inner needles brown and drop every year. Brown outer tips, or a dead top, mean real trouble.
- Ash
- Dead branch ends and thin leaves point to dieback disease and borers in an aging tree.
- Timing
- Damage from a hot summer often shows the following spring, when the tree fails to leaf out fully.
Las Vegas trees and how they are faring
| Tree | Planted | Current picture |
|---|---|---|
| Afghan pine, sold as Mondell | Heavily from the 1980s to 2000s | Widespread decline and death from heat and reduced water |
| Modesto and Raywood ash | Older neighborhoods | Dieback and borers. Many near the end of their lives. |
| Fruitless mulberry | Before 1991, when planting was restricted | Large, old and often badly topped |
| Mexican fan and date palm | Citywide | Healthy with regular trimming |
| Mesquite, palo verde, desert willow | Newer desert landscapes | Well adapted. Wind damage when over-watered. |
| Southern live oak and Chinese pistache | Recent plantings | Performing well so far |
Block walls, pools and no side yard
A typical valley lot is enclosed by a six-foot block wall, with five feet of side yard and a pool or patio filling the back. A pine planted as a sapling in 1992 now stands 50 feet tall in a corner where three properties meet.
Nothing can be dropped. A climber works the tree down in short pieces lowered by rope, and the crew carries them through a side gate. If the tree has been dead long enough to be unsafe to climb, a crane lifts sections over the house from the street.
Block walls are easily cracked by falling wood and by stump grinders working beside them. Ask how the wall and the neighbor's side will be protected, and tell the neighbor before the job.
Licensing, HOAs and planting restrictions
Neither the City of Las Vegas nor Clark County requires a permit to remove a tree from a private residential lot. The requirement that matters is licensing: Nevada's State Contractors Board licenses tree trimming and removal under its landscape contracting classification, and work above the board's small-job exemption must be done by a licensee.
Most valley homes are in common-interest communities. Associations commonly require approval to remove a front-yard tree and may require a replacement of a set size. Get that in writing first.
Clark County restricts planting fruitless mulberry and European olive because of pollen. Southern Nevada's water rules also shape landscapes: turf is being removed valley-wide, and trees that relied on lawn irrigation need their own emitters when the grass goes.
Wind in the valley
- Spring fronts
- Gusts of 50 to 70 mph several times between March and May, when trees are leafing out.
- Monsoon outflow
- Sudden gusts ahead of summer thunderstorms. Top-heavy desert trees tip.
- Tropical remnants
- Hilary in August 2023 brought rain and wind on already stressed trees.
- Dead trees
- A pine that died last year is the first thing to come down in any of these.
What to do with a declining tree
- This week
The top third of a pine is brown
Plan removal now, while it can still be climbed. See dead tree removal.
- Plan it
You are converting lawn to desert landscaping
Add drip emitters for existing trees before the sprinklers are shut off.
- Act now
A tree is leaning on the block wall after wind
Keep people away from both sides of the wall and call.
- This week
A palm has a full skirt of dead fronds
Have it trimmed before summer.
Las Vegas tree service questions
Why are the pine trees dying in Las Vegas?
Hotter summers, less water after turf removal or irrigation cutbacks, and age. Stressed trees are then attacked by borers and mites.
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in Las Vegas?
No city or county permit for a private residential tree. Check HOA rules, and hire a contractor licensed by the Nevada State Contractors Board.
Can a dead pine be removed without damaging my block wall?
Yes, with rigging or a crane so no wood falls freely. Discuss wall protection and stump grinding distance before work begins.
What trees should I plant instead?
Regional plant lists favor desert-adapted and heat-tolerant shade trees. The water authority publishes recommendations for the valley.
Reach a tree service in Las Vegas
Call to be connected with an independent tree company that works in the Las Vegas area, or leave your number and one will call you back.
(844) 955-1716Call availability varies by area and time of day
Limbwright is a referral service. Your call goes to an independent tree service company that sets its own schedule and terms. Ask for proof of insurance and a written scope before work starts. How this works
Call now
Talk to a tree service provider in your area. Have the tree's location and what it is near ready.
(844) 955-1716Call nowCall availability varies by area and time of day