Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue Fall Curbside Chipping Program

How it works

Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue is offering free curbside chipping for Washoe County residents. Approved residents place eligible vegetation piles on the curbside of the street, and chipping occurs on the homeowner’s property. The homeowner or property owner must be present and approve the work.

What the service covers

The program accepts green, dry, and dead vegetation, including shrubs and tree branches. It is intended to help residents dispose of material that would otherwise become wildfire fuel. All chipped material must remain on the property.

Amounts and limits

This is a no-cost service, so there is no payment amount or reimbursement. The program limits work to 12 residents per day, depending on geographic location. Each residence gets an allotted time limit of about 20 minutes, including clean-up and set-up time. The district notes that 3x3x3 is approximately the amount of material that can be chipped in that time.

How to apply

Requests were accepted online through the Curbside Chipping Program application. The district says approved residents receive an email with the date and time for chipping. Questions can be directed to Juan Saldana at jsaldana@tmfpd.us or 775-737-8693.

Timing and deadlines

The announcement says the district was accepting requests through 2025-09-30. Chipping was scheduled to take place 2025-10-11 through 2025-10-19. The program is not year-round and requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Property and material rules

All chip material must be 8 inches or less in diameter. Piles must be placed where the chipper can access them, with all cutting ends facing the same direction. Material must be clean or dead and considered green material; prohibited items include trash, root-balls, leaves, lumber, pinecones, dirt, firewood rounds, and fruit waste. Homeowners must reapply for the next chipping schedule if all piles cannot be completed in the allotted time.